


In A Wonderland Of Our Own

by RavenPoe



Category: Joker (2019)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Blood and Violence, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues, Mother Issues, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Harm, Sex, Smut, Stalking, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:26:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25985854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenPoe/pseuds/RavenPoe
Summary: It's been a fortnight since Arthur Fleck was locked away in Arkham Asylum, and just as long since his transformation into the one and only Joker. The ensuing riots have left Gotham City in flames, as its rebellious citizens wait impatiently for their new leader to show them the way. But there's only one thing keeping Joker from realizing his destiny: his soul crushing loneliness. Can the clown prince of crime find himself a princess? And what will this mean for the future of Gotham City?
Relationships: Arthur Fleck/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 14





	1. We're All Slightly Mad Here

**Author's Note:**

> After watching Joker for the millionth time, I figured that this would be as good a time as any to write a fanfiction about our favorite clown prince of crime. I know this had been done to death, but I figured that I would give it a shot, anyway. This story will be written as a sort of Tim Burton-sque fairy tale with hints of Alice in Wonderland spread throughout, if you know what I mean. Lol Let me know what you guys think in the comments below. :)

Arthur's handcuffs jingled as he raised his cigarette to his mouth for one last puff. His dark green eyes, once jovial and full of laughter, observed his new 'therapist' with all the warmth and kindness of an iceberg at sea.

Since brutally killing Dr. Leland within days of entering Arkham Asylum, no doctor had wanted anything to do with him.It took almost 2 weeks for the staff to locate an intern willing to give it a try.

The intern in question was a scrawny 22 year old graduate student named Jonathan Crane. Jonathan was an intelligent young man with pale skin, dark brown hair, and bright blue eyes.

The board of directors promised to give him a full recommendation to the hospital of his choice, good pay and benefits, the works. All he had to do was spend an hour a week with Arthur for the next couple of years, and he was golden. Easy, right? Wrong!

This was their first therapy session together and things weren't going well, at all. Despite his advanced training and inflated ego, the cocky little scarecrow was simply no match for the grinning mad man seated before him.

"Mr. Fleck, we've been going around in circles for 20 minutes. Please just give me something, for fuck's sake!"

Ignoring Jonathan's haughty attitude and snarky tone of voice, Arthur continued mumbling the lyrics to “That's Life” by Frank Sinatra .

"I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate,.A poet, a pawn and a king.. I've been up and down and over and out, and I know one thing. Each time I find myself flat on my face. I pick myself up and get back in the race." He ended with a high pitched laugh.

The inhuman laughter mixed with the hollowness of Arthur's singing voice, was more than enough to completely terrify, and instantly traumatize, poor little Jonathan.

The self-righteous smugness fell from the young intern's face, as he stumbled off the chair and backed slowly away from this dangerously deranged man.

With a cruel snicker, Arthur climbed to his shackled feet and shuffled slowly towards the frightened young man; his amused grin diverging into a sadistic smirk.With his stiff gait and awkward movements, Arthur looked for all the world like a demonically possessed puppet. 

Jonathan’s breathing hitched and his words came out in frightened sobs, as Arthur knelt before him; leaning closer and closer, until his mouth lay right next to the young man’s ear.

"Boo!" he whispered with a high pitch cackle.

The room's heavy steel door suddenly burst open with a loud bang, two large orderlies dressed in their usual scrubs and sporting colorful plastic clown masks were standing side by side in the doorway. Arthur turned to look at the men with a wide, toothy grin.

"Well, took ya long enough," he complained, lightheartedly.

"Sorry boss, we were having trouble with the security codes. Damn nut house is locked up tighter than a dolphin's asshole."

One of them said, helping his boss to his feet as the other knelt down and unlocked the cuffs from his ankles and wrists.

Arthur stretched his arms over his head, sighing in relief when he finally felt his stiff joints pop. He then followed his men out the door and into the hallway, leaving the conceited intern to deal with the hoard of crazed lunatics roaming freely through the halls.

\-------------------------

The three of them had no trouble walking through the massive asylum, and straight out the front door. Chaos and madness surrounded them at every turn. It didn't take much to incite a full blown riot, that was for sure.

Just unlock all the cell doors, take out the guards, pump some “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne through the loudspeakers, and watch out!

Arthur and his men sauntered out the front doors and into the back of a stolen ambulance, which managed to take them from Arkham, all the way to the other side of the city in thirty minutes flat.

It certainly pays to have friends in high places; especially friends who could provide you with the appropriate getaway vehicle.

When the ambulance slowed to a stop, the back doors opened to reveal a large crowd of men and women, wearing the same plastic clown masks as the orderlies. A look of pure joy and wonderment lit Arthur's face at the sheer volume of people cheering his name.

The mob of masked clowns split a path for their new leader, as he carefully climbed out the back of the vehicle. It was almost like he was Moses parting the red sea.

Walking slowly through the crowd, Arthur held his arms out on either side to gently caress the outstretched hands and covered faces of his beloved followers. He was the promised messiah, and these poor souls before him were his loyal disciples.

There was even an armed guard keeping watch by the main entrance to his new lair who, with a deep respectful bow, opened the door for him. Once inside the formerly abandoned warehouse, however, Arthur couldn't stop the paranoid thoughts from running through his twisted mind.

This was almost too good to be true: the easy escape, the legions of fans waiting in the wings, the new digs. He quickly decided to just let it go. If this was a drug induced hallucination, he would make the most of it; if not, then so much the better.

\-------------------------

A small group of vicious looking men were waiting for him inside. Each one had dark hair, tanned skin, a tough build, and was dressed in a fashionable suit; but, strangely enough, no clown mask.

It didn't take Arthur long to recognize the men as members of the Falcone family. _Oh shit_ , he thought with a gulp _I'm dead._

The men turned and walked silently towards him, their hard, emotionless faces completely unreadable. But, rather than cry and run off like the coward he usually was, Arthur stood his ground.He was tired of being the whole world's whipping boy. If he was going to die, then he would do it like a man.

Expecting the worst, Arthur was completely thrown for a loop when all ten men bowed before their new leader, as the one in the center grunted out a resigned "Welcome home, sir."

Arthur had a hard time keeping it together when each man grabbed his right hand and kissed it, like he had seen mafiosos do to their Godfather in the Coppola movies.

Despite his best efforts, he let out a high pitched chortle. Even though this didn't really seem to phase the men in the slightest, he still covered his mouth with one hand self-consciously.

Standing aside, they pointed the way to Arthur's bedroom. Thanking them as best he could, he ran to his new room, strained bursts of laughter still spilling from his clenched lips.

\-------------------------

Arthur's jaw dropped in awe at the sight before him. His new bedroom was easily twice the size of his old apartment, and had been decorated in a simple yet elegant fashion: truly a room fit for a prince.

It had a large king sized bed to the left of the doorway, two solid oak bedside tables on either side of the bed, a solid oak dresser against the back wall, and a large antique vanity to the right of the doorway.

Walking to the massive bed, Arthur did something he was never able to do, but always wanted to: he climbed onto the mattress, and jumped up and down like an errant youngster on a trampoline.

After a minute or two of this childish behavior, he fell onto his back with a gleeful giggle. He now had everything he could have ever wanted, and all he had to do was let his demons out to play. Why he never let Joker call the shots before was beyond him.

With an exhausted sigh, he looked down in disgust at the scratchy white pajamas he was forced to wear, since being locked away in that pitiful excuse for a funny farm. Deciding that a change was in order, he got to his feet and walked towards the dresser. Inside were t-shirts, jeans, socks, and underwear; all the perfect size, but no suits. How odd.

Turning his head to the left, Arthur's eyes widened at the sight of two hidden doors located on either side of the two bedside tables.

He opened the one to the far right, and was surprised to see a nice sized bathroom with a large shower, separate bathtub, and a brand new sink and toilet.It even had large, fluffy towels that only the most elite hotels provided to the rich and affluent.

He abandoned the bathroom for now and walked around the bed, opening the other door to the far left. This one contained a walk-in closet with multiple copies of the very suit and brown/ black dress shoes he had worn on The Murray Franklin Show.

With another giggle, Arthur went back to the bathroom and took a long luxurious shower.He was pleased to see that not only had his followers managed to find clothes in his exact size, they also remembered what his favorite shampoo and soap were.

This just kept getting better and better.

Minutes later, he came out of the now foggy bathroom in a comfy black robe with a fluffy white towel wrapped around his bony shoulders. Sitting down at the vanity, Arthur smiled widely at the well groomed man looking back at him from the mirror's crystal clear reflection.

He opened the drawers on either side of the vanity, as he rubbed his hair dry; a sudden burst of laughter ringing out at the sight of the goodies that lay inside.

The drawers to the left contained the finest clown makeup and hair dye money could buy, while the other side held cartons of his favorite brand of cigarettes and several brand new lighters.

But it was when Arthur found his most precious possession, sitting on top of a box of green hair dye, that a warm feeling began to fill his ice cold heart.

It was an aquamarine colored lady's handkerchief made of silk, with white lace around the edges and a monogrammed _A_ sewn onto one of the corners.

When he and his men planned his escape, he told them to set fire to all of his possessions, effectively burning away the last connections to his old life. Everything, except for this small keepsake. 

This simple piece of cloth had been given to him out of kindness and friendship, rather than out of pity and empathy. It was the only evidence Arthur had that someone saw him not as a freak, but as a fellow human being.

\-------------------------

It happened about a month ago, if memory serves. Arthur had been happily skipping through the halls of the children's hospital dressed as a Carnival.

He was scheduled to bring joy and laughter to the sick children of the Cancer Ward for the next two hours, before spending the rest of the day dancing in front of another closing business.

As much as he loved being a clown, the multiple days spent dancing in front of failing businesses had certainly taken its toll. More than once, he had come home feeling just like Paliaci: laughing on the outside, crying on the outside.

But it was when Arthur could brighten the dreary days of sick and dying children that made it all worthwhile.

He was so busy dancing around in his large clown shoes that he didn't notice the open door; until it hit him square in the head.

Luckily, he wasn't hit hard enough to pass out or cause even more damage to his already scrambled brains, although he did end up seeing birds flying around his head, like in his favorite cartoons.

While attempting to fix his wig and the little brown hat he glued on for extra laughs, Arthur was shocked to feel long, thin fingers gently close around his own. He looked up and gasped at the sight of the most beautiful turquoise colored eyes he had ever seen.

They were set in a feminine, heart shaped face with just the right amount of make-up to set off her natural beauty, while making her look like a fairy princess.

The woman standing before him was just a little bit taller, although she looked to be about his height without heels. She had a curvy yet muscular body with dense bones, nice size breasts, and pale skin be speckled with brown freckles.

He guessed that she was either in her late 20's or early 30's, however her innocent nature made her seem much, much younger.

She had on a knee length puffed sleeve dress that perfectly matched the color of her eyes. It had a white apron and white lace along its sleeves; black and white striped pantyhose, black high heel Mary Janes, and white silk gloves completed the ensemble.

She also wore silver and light blue rhinestone earrings, necklace, and bracelets, complete with a matching crown that was perfectly set in her long black hair.

"Oh my God, sweetie, I am so, so sorry. I honestly didn't see ya there. Are ya alright? Oh, you poor little darlin.'"

The sound of her deep western drawl and the feel of her soft hands, gently stroking the sides of his face, helped to snap Arthur out of his daze.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" She asked again, causing him to nod with a nervous gulp.

"Y-Y-Yeah..I-I'm um...I'm okay." He said in a squeaky voice. Arthur took a few seconds to clear his throat, before speaking in his normal deeper, softer tone. "I-I'm fine.."

The woman's concerned face broke out into a relieved smile, as she slowly let him go with a gentle pat to his gaunt cheek. "I am so sorry darlin', I honestly didn't see ya walkin' there."

Now that Arthur had managed to gain some composure, he cleared his throat again and bowed before the lovely maiden. Grabbing her hand ever so gently, he kissed it like the gentleman he was raised to be.

"I-It's quite alright, miss. It t-takes a lot more than a bump on the noggin, to bring this ol' clown d-down." He said, with his usual stammer. "My name's C-Carnival, and it's a p-pleasure to meet such a beautiful l-lady, as y-yourself."

The woman giggled in response, as a cute blush painted her pale cheeks a dusty pink. When he let her hand go and stood up straight, she curtsied before him with a polite nod.

"My name is Princess Alice, Mr. Carnival. And it's an honor, indeed, to make your acquaintance."

Arthur's face split into a mile wide grin, making him look much younger than his 35 some odd years. "W-Would you um...l-like to see a m-magic trick?" He stuttered, wishing with all his heart that she would say yes.

"I would love to see a magic trick," she gasped delightedly.

Arthur was barely able to contain his excitement, as he reached into his bag of tricks and pulled out a black magic wand with white tips. He waved it around like the silly magician he was, as he performed a magical clown jig for a moment or two.

He suddenly stopped, and looked curiously at the wand, a stern expression maring his cheerfully painted face. His head tilted in mock confusion, as he handed the wand to Alice, letting out a snicker when it went limp in her hand.

She gave it back to him with a smile, letting out a small chuckle of her own when he ran his fingers along the length of the wand to straighten in. Arthur tapped it on his head with a wink, and continued with his silly little dance.

Alice's eyes sparkled with joy when he magically transformed the black and white wand into a lovely bouquet of multicolored paper flowers. She clapped her hands and jumped around in elation at this amazing magic trick, her smile widening when Arthur handed the bouquet back to her.

"Oh my goodness, thank you Carnival." she said sweetly, hugging the flowers to her chest with a sigh."they're beautiful."

"They're yours to keep, your majesty."

"Really? Well, in that case." Alice reached into one of the two pockets sewn into her white apron, and took out the very handkerchief Arthur now had in his hand. She held it between her thumb and forefinger daintily, before dropping it to the ground with a flourish.

When Arthur obligingly picked it up and held it out to her, she took it from him with a shy smile. With another giggle, she quickly pecked his cheek as she placed the handkerchief firmly back into the palm of his hand.

This innocent display of affection caused a dark blush to emerge from the thickness of Arthur’s greasepaint, coloring the exposed skin of his face and neck a deep scarlet.

\-------------------------

Arthur probably should have asked for her real name that day, but the bump to his head had left him in a kind of a daze. The two did end up chatting for a bit, until it was time for him to entertain the children and for her to get ready for work.

Apparently, Alice wasn't your typical princess for hire. She actually spent much of her free time delighting children with her beautiful singing voice, imaginative storytelling, and engaging puppet shows.

These selfless acts of kindness only made Arthur fall for her even more.

So, before they parted ways, they promised to go out for coffee and pie at the local diner the next time they ran into each other. But since she was a volunteer with no set schedule, Arthur had no idea when that would be.

Not knowing how long he might have to wait, he decided to take matters into his own hands and find her.

He spent the next couple of days scouring the entire hospital in between shifts, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. He looked in all the patient's rooms, in the play rooms, and even in the physical therapy rooms. Nothing.

Not to be deterred, he spent his day off simply standing outside the sliding glass doors, watching different women come in and out of the building. But, of course, none of them looked or sounded anything like her.

Near the end of the day, as Arthur peacefully watched the sunset while smoking a cigarette, a strange thought occurred to him. He couldn’t quite be sure, but he had a feeling the color of her eyes weren't really her own, and her hair honestly didn't seem all that natural.

He then realized that she must have been wearing a wig and colored contacts as part of her costume. Since Arthur didn’t know what her real hair and eye color was, he tried looking for women with roughly the same height and build as her the next day, but to no avail.

As a last ditch effort, he asked the doctors, nurses, children, and parents about her; but not one of them knew when she would show up next. They also couldn't tell him her real name, where she worked, or where she lived. The only real help he got was from the head nurse on the first floor, who swore to call him the next time Alice visited the children.

It was also around this time that Arthur met Sophie in the elevator of his apartment building. They really seemed to hit if off and, within just one day, he knew everything there was to know about her. She even knocked on his door one night, and jokingly reassured him that she didn't mind him stalking her.

So, resolutely, he decided to forget about Alice and focus on his growing relationship with Sophie. Unfortunately, the next few days were the worst of Arthur's life.

First, he had been fired for bringing a gun to the children's hospital; then he had killed those 3 Wall Street guys on the subway; finally he had lost his state run psychiatric services, which included the different medications he needed to function normally in the real world.

And, as an added bonus, a fight he had with his Mother had led to a sudden stroke, leaving the elderly woman extremely frail and lying close to death in a hospital bed.

The love that he and Sophie had for each other was the only thing that kept him going. But, as he would soon learn, this love might have been too good to be true.

After finding out that he was adopted by Penny and horrifically abused by her boyfriends, Arthur decided a visit to Sophie was in order.

So he ventured through the pouring rain and harsh winds, straight to the loving warmth of her tiny, rundown apartment. He let himself in and sat on the lumpy couch, quietly waiting for her to finish putting her daughter, Gigi, to bed.

The deep chill in his bones gave way to pure numbness at the sound of Sophie's terrified gasp. Her confused tone of voice made him feel slightly nervous, but it wasn’t until he saw her frightened expression that he discovered the truth.

Not only had the two of them never gone out on a date or made love, Sophie barely knew who he was. He left it at that and went on his way.

But just because what the two of them had was all in his head, didn't necessarily mean it was the same with him and Alice. He still had her handkerchief, after all.And, before he was locked away, he noticed that one of the two magic wands he bought years ago had gone missing.

This meant she was real and not just a figment of his imagination, right? Arthur knew she existed, she just had to. And he wouldn't rest until he found her and made her his.


	2. Almost Alice

Arthur absentmindedly ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the silk handkerchief, as he closed his eyes and drifted into a light slumber.

What started as bittersweet memories of his brief encounter with Alice, had quickly turned into a treasure trove of wondrous dreams; each one more glorious than the last.

This was certainly a pleasant change from the dark thoughts and horrific nightmares that kept him awake all night long. In fact, these were the sort of dreams that most people took for granted, the sort of dreams that Arthur would have given anything to experience for himself.

And now that he has, he just couldn't stop dreaming about the sound of her melodic laughter and the sight of her ethereal beauty. His favorites were when they worked together to shatter through the confines of his hardened heart, piercing straight to the untapped reservoir of unrequited love, hidden deep inside.

He had been such a fool, he realized that now.

He should have listened to that little voice in his head that said: _she's the one, wait for her. Forget about Sophie, she's not even real_ , rather than the more impatient voice, which demanded he forget about his princess and go for the sure thing.

Arthur's eyes fluttered open to the sight of a rather anomalous looking man, staring back at him from behind the crystal clear looking glass. This strange visage had the same hawkish nose, sallow skin, and iridescent eyes that he had grown used to seeing on a daily basis; but something seemed just a little off.

With a shrug, Arthur took a cigarette from the nearest pack and lit it with surprisingly steady hands. A pleasurable smile soon followed; melting the hard edges of his face, as the salty, almost bitter taste of the nicotine accented smoke filled his lungs, and flowed out his nostrils.

God how he missed his sweet smokes.

Arthur grabbed a bottle of hair dye and walked into the bathroom, meticulously coloring his dark brown hair a brilliant green. He took extra care not to stain the bathroom sink too badly, it wouldn't do to ruin his new home so soon.

Grabbing a large paint brush, he sat back down in front of the vanity and carefully painted his face a solid chalky white, as clean and crisp as the first snowfall of winter. Taking two smaller makeup brushes, he then added the accents: dark blue diamonds for his eyes, and a touch of blood red for the tip of his nose, his inquisitive eyebrows, and his neat yet grotesque smile.

After dressing in the same maroon colored suit, orange vest, greenish blue shirt, and brown/black dress shoes he had worn on television, Arthur, now Joker, turned and walked determinedly out the door.

"Alright gentlemen, gather 'round, gather 'round! We've got some important business to discuss." Joker exclaimed, heading straight to the former members of the Falcone family with a purposeful stride, his dark eyes shining like polished emeralds.

All ten men came together submissively in response, waiting patiently for their sergeant's orders, like the good little soldiers they were.

"Now, I know you 'wise guys' are used to following orders from the great guinea rat himself, but I'm gonna tell you this once and only once: I am not your fucking Godfather. I'm not Italian, I'm not a mob boss, and I sure as hell don't go around killing innocent people for laughs, or to make a quick buck. So if either one of you has a problem with it, this is the only chance you’ll get to walk right out that door.”

Joker was pleasantly surprised to see all ten men stand their ground, their attention focused solely on him.

 _First thing's first_ He thought to himself _it’s time for these sad sacks to get a long overdue promotion._

So he decided to make each man a captain, which was all they really wanted in the first place. Just a little bit of respect from their superiors. After dividing his followers into different groups based on a number of factors, such as age, abilities, intellect, and so on, Joker then assigned each high ranking man their own individual group.

It took several days to get everything organized but, eventually, he had it all under control and was running a tight ship.  
\-----------------------  
Joker was in the process of drawing up plans for his first official act as the clown prince of crime, when he heard a knock on his bedroom door.

“Come on in, Gary,” he called out without looking up from his blue prints "door’s open!”

A middle aged midget with dark thinning hair, a short beard, and warm brown eyes slowly entered the bedroom; making sure not to get too close to the unstable maniac, hunched over a swivel chair in front of the large vanity.

"Sir, the men and their soldiers have been briefed on their duties, and are awaiting your orders." the little person said in a thick cockney accent.

"Gary, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me sir. Call me Joker."

"Oh uh, s-sorry si- oh uh, I mean...J-Joker."

With a high-pitched laugh, he pulled the little guy into a one armed hug, kissing him right on the top of his balding head with a loud smack.

"Tell my men that I'll be right out. But, before you do, I got a special job for ya."

According to a very reliable resource, Alice was intending to make a very special, impromptu appearance at the children's hospital today. And since Gary was Joker's best and, let’s face it, only friend, he made sure to give the little guy the safe task of watching for her.

He would never forgive himself if something bad happened to the only person, other than his precious Alice, of course, who was ever nice to him.

This was how the little man came to find himself standing outside the children’s hospital, shivering his cute little heart shaped butt off; his old clown uniform offering little in the way of protection against the frigidity of the cold October air.

Gary didn’t know Alice's real name nor did he know anything about her; he only knew that she was to perfectly match the description given to him by his new boss. And the moment he found her, he was to call Joker's beeper from the nearest payphone.

The hours slowly passed until the sun began to set behind the tall, rustic buildings. Gary was just about to call it a night, when he spotted a tall, voluptuous woman walking down the sidewalk.

She was the same height, had the same skin color, and was built exactly like the girl Arthur had met over a month ago; but, strangely enough, she wasn’t really dressed the part.

With her black leather jacket, white _Guns & Roses_ t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and black leather boots, the woman looked more like a punk than a princess.

She also had long reddish-brown hair instead of black, and hazel eyes instead of turquoise; which could have been a deal breaker, had Joker not informed him that the black hair and turquoise eyes may have been part of her overall princess costume.

Gary also couldn’t help but notice the plastic clown mask she held in one hand. He really did find it funny how so many people in the city, rich and poor, were caught wearing those creepy looking things.

Ever since Joker murdered Gotham City’s beloved Murray Franklin in cold blood, the mayor passed a law banning anyone from wearing them. But, of course, no one listened.

And the fact that many of Gotham's citizens wore these distorted harlequin masks to avoid getting caught in violent protests, didn't seem to phase the Gotham PD in the slightest. Try as they might, though, they just couldn't arrest everybody.

\------------------------

Gary turned and followed the young woman through the sliding glass doors, and down the first floor's long hallway. He hid around a nearby corner, until she disappeared inside an empty recovery room.

As Alice spent the next hour changing into her princess outfit and carefully applying her makeup, Gary called the beeper number Joker had given him from a nearby pay phone.

When his boss called back, Gary told him the good news: Princess Alice had finally been found. He and the others better hurry though, there's no telling how long she would be here for.

After leaving the empty recovery room, Gary followed the lovely princess towards one of the play areas, where many of the children had already gathered to watch the show.

Meanwhile, in another part of the hospital, Joker and a couple of his henchmen were quickly covering their street clothes with hospital gowns, paper hats, and surgical masks. They had somehow managed to evade the obviously lack security, and sneak through a hidden entrance located in the back of the building.

Walking quickly through the halls, they met Gary outside the play area just in time for the start of the show. All four men became instantly entranced at the sight of Alice, gleefully entertaining the children with some colorful handmade marionettes as she danced and sang a lovely little tune.

But, strangely enough, rather than control each puppet with a cross brace, she had actually tied a single string around every one of her fingers. This allowed Alice to command 2 marionettes simultaneously; and while it certainly made them harder to control, it did bring more life to the little wooden figurines than anyone thought possible.

Joker just could not take his eyes off the exquisite beauty, swaying gracefully before him. While being somewhat content to watch her shapely body dance around without tangling the strings, what he really wanted was to hear her sing.

"I bet she sings like an angel," he mumbled, a goofy smile splitting his face in two underneath his surgical mask.

He wanted so badly to take her away from all this, but decided against it. He knew the smart thing to do was to wait and watch; biding his time until he found just the right moment to make her his.

\-------------------------  
Alice gave little mind to Arthur and his men, as she bowed her way out the door to the loud applause of a rather enthusiastic audience. However, when she passed by Gary in the hallway, she turned her head and took a cursory glance at him.

The moment their eyes met, she smiled and nodded in a friendly manner before locking herself back in the same empty recovery room as before. Gary smiled shyly back at her, amazed that a complete stranger could be so friendly towards a little freak like him.

With an amused chuckle, Joker sent the little guy and his henchmen back to the hideout. He could take it from here. 

He slipped into a nearby janitor's closet and changed from his maroon colored suit, into a pair of light blue nursing scrubs, as quickly as he could. Walking out, he covered his makeup laden face with a clown mask of his own before following Alice out the sliding glass doors, and into the darkened streets.

The beautiful princess was so lost in a kingdom all her own that she failed to notice the tall, gaunt figure escorting her safely through the night.lHe accompanied her through the underground subway terminal entrance, down the wide concrete steps, and along the immense platform below.

Once they entered the mostly empty subway train together, Joker made sure to climb into a different car, parallel to the one Alice stepped into. He kept constant watch over her all throughout the bumpy ride; making sure to stay hidden behind the subway's connecting door, just in case.

As he watched her pay more attention to her music than the world around her, he began to wonder what her imaginary Wonderland would be like.

Would the animals be dressed as humans and reside in fancy little houses? Would the flowers have special powers and talk to her for hours? Would she have a dozen nice and friendly blue birds, who sang her a special song whenever she felt lonely?

It took almost an hour for the subway to take them from the nice part of town, all the way to the same dismal, rat infested hell hole that Arthur spent almost 2 decades of his miserable life holed up in. So many horrible memories, all of which he soon hoped to forget.

\-------------------------

Joker walked silently behind Alice through the dark, filthy streets of downtown Gotham City; slowing to a stop once she disappeared into an incredibly shabby looking apartment building. The type of apartment he had once lived in, which was, strangely enough, located only a few blocks away from hers.

He quickly disappeared into a nearby alley and waited patiently for a light to turn on. This was the only way he could find her exact apartment without raising suspicion. When her gorgeous silhouette could be seen through the windows, he made quick work of climbing up a nearby fire escape.

He was worried the sound of his hard sole shoes hitting the metal stairs would alert her, but his fears proved to be unfounded. She had walked straight into the bathroom, right when he made it to her apartment.

Joker took this opportunity to look through what appeared to be her bedroom window, instantly fascinated by all the various trinkets and collectibles that decorated every square inch.

She had an impressive collection of figurines, porcelain dolls, and plush animals; but it was the multitude of colorful marionettes that truly got his attention.

They came in a variety of shapes and sizes, and were made in the image of different humans, animals, and even inanimate objects that could only be brought to life through pure imagination.

He initially assumed they had been purchased from a local store until he spotted miniature jars filled with brightly colored paints, several different kinds of paint brushes, and a half finished wooden head, laying on an old vanity set between the bathroom door and the window.

Not only was this lovely lady a talented marionettist; she was also a skilled puppet maker. He took in all the delightful puppets, until one in particular left him virtually speechless. Hanging from the ceiling, right next to a fat police officer and an anthropomorphic black cat, was a perfectly made marionette in his likeness; a Joker puppet, if you will.

The puppet was wearing the exact same outfit he'd worn that night he met his idol, for the first and last time. The exposed hands, neck, and ears had been painted to match his exact skin tone, while the face was colored in such a flawless manner that Joker could have sworn he had done it himself.

He was so captivated by this little wooden doppelganger, he almost missed the bathroom door opening. Thankfully, the sight of her shadow creeping across the linoleum floor gave Joker just enough time to duck and cover.

After a minute or two, he peeked his head a few centimeters over the window sill, just enough to see her flittering form standing on the other side of the room. An involuntary gasp escaped his painted lips at the sight of Alice holding the Joker puppet in one hand, while turning on a record player with the other.

She was going to put on a play, and he was the star!

Joker knelt silently on the metal fire escape porch in eager anticipation of the show to come. His heart suddenly leapt into his throat when he heard the sound of Frank Sinatra's sensual voice crooning _That's Life,_ from the worn speakers of Alice's ancient turntable.

For the next half hour, he watched, absolutely enthralled as she magnificently emulated his graceful, dreamlike movements. It was almost like looking in a fun house mirror.

How she managed to not only create an exact replica of the clown prince of crime, but also masterfully mimic his dance moves was beyond him. He didn't want to jinx anything, but he may have finally found _the one_.

The show ended with a bow from the little puppet and large yawn from its master. Alice put her creation away, but decided to keep the lights on for just awhile longer. She tiredly walked to the left side of her bed, and opened a hidden closet door that was located too far for Joker to see properly.

She scrounged around for a moment until she pulled out a familiar looking black and white stick, complete with colorful paper flowers: it was the magic wand he had given her all those months ago.

He couldn't believe that she had actually held onto this little gift of his. And, from what he could see, she had kept it in excellent condition. A smile grew from underneath his plastic mask as she turned off the light, climbed under the covers, and tucked the keepsake close to her heart.

Joker waited for Alice to slip deep into her own far away dreamland, before creeping silently through the open window. He stood stock still in the very center of her whimsical bedroom, admiring the myriad of puppets hanging along the same wall the window was set in. The one sight that broke the spell came from her vanity.

Tucked into the faded mirror were several newspaper clippings and color photographs of the man of the hour: the one and only Joker. The clown in question whipped off his mask with a soft giggle, running his fingers through his tangled verdant locks until they were neatly tamed.

He slowly turned and made his way to the little Joker doll, its creepily painted mad man grin flawlessly reflecting his own. He reached out and, like Geppetto holding his sweet Pinocchio for the first time, took the doll carefully into his arms and cradled it close.

"Shhhh. hush little baby, don't say a word. Papa's gonna bring you a sweet song bird. And if that song bird tries to fly, Papa's gonna lock her up till she cries. And if those sobs and tears come to a rest, Papa's gonna tear her heart from her chest." he softly sang as he place several small, butterfly kisses along the doll's cold, still face.  
  
Joker bit his thin, painted lips bloody in a vain attempt to suppress a fast approaching laughing fit. After taking several deep, calming breaths, the urge to laugh eventually faded away; leaving behind a different, more familiar urge.

The alluring sight of his sleeping beauty, cuddled so close to the magic wand, was just too tempting for him ignore. So, with a barely suppressed giggle, he switched Joker Jr. to his left hand, while using his right to take a hypodermic syringe full of Midazolam from the pocket of his scrubs.

It's always a good idea to be prepared.


	3. Come Out and Play

"Do you understand why we had to keep you here in Arkham for two weeks, my dear?" Dr. Leland calmly inquired, a stern frown set in her dark, haggard face.

"Yes Ma'am," a lovely, pale woman mumbled respectfully, her long, reddish brown hair obscuring her hazel eyes and heart shaped face.

"And why did we keep you here for so long?"

"Because I got lost in Wonderland."

"That's right, you did. And your name's not Alice, is it?"

"No, Ma'am."

"Can you tell me what your real name is?"

"It's Jennifer Liddell Dodgson," the patient answered with a defeated sigh.

"That's a good girl," the doctor chided in a condescending tone of voice, reserved specifically for children; or patients with the occasional maturity level of a child.

"You may go now. Dr. Arkham will sign your release in a few hours. You should be able to go back home, later in the evening."

"Thank you, Ma'am," the patient whispered politely. Standing from the hard plastic chair, she turned and followed a muscular orderly out the office door.

They walked through the brightly lit, cream colored hallway in silence; coming to a complete stop just outside the patient's small room. She gave the orderly a polite nod as he unlocked the thick metal door for her, locking it up tight when she was safely inside.

 _How had it come to this?_ the patient wondered, stretching her lengthy frame on the small, hard cot with its flat pillow, scratchy sheets, and thin blanket. _I was doing so well, and then suddenly BAM! I went from being a responsible adult, living my normal life in boring old reality; to being a carefree little girl, wasting away in a far off land._

The patient could barely even remember how she had been admitted in the first place. According to Dr. Leland, a group of old ladies were out walking their dogs at night, when they saw a strange woman skipping into an empty children's park.

She was dressed in her Princess Alice costume; carrying the magic wand flowers in one hand, and two of her handmade marionettes in the other. Rather than simply leave her be, though, the nosy old biddies decided to get the cops involved.

A couple of burly officers showed up about half an hour later. They had fully expected to find some perverted, homeless guy jacking off on a park bench. Imagine their surprise, when they saw a full grown woman, innocently playing on the swing set like a little girl.

She had been singing softly to herself, while holding a bouquet of colorful paper flowers gently to her chest; her marionettes resting on the sand covered ground below her.

When they asked for her name, she answered in a soft, childish lisp: "Silly white knights, you know exactly who I am. It's me, Alice. The crown princess of Wonderland."

The officers decided to play along, if only to gain her trust.

"Oh, of course. Princess Alice. Please forgive us for not recognizing you before, your majesty. What are you doing out so late? Did you get lost, chasing that naughty white rabbit again?" one of them softly chided, as they both crept closer.

"Nope. I was playin' with some other boys and girls at the White Queen's castle, where I just so happened to meet the Mad Hatter. He was dressed like a party clown, but I knew it was him," she said the last few words in a sly whisper.

"I accidently smacked him on the head with a door; knockin' him right on his boney butt," she said with a giggle. "But he was really nice about it. He danced for me, and even performed a magic trick. He turned this wand into a whole bunch of flowers, ain't they pretty?"

"They sure are, but we need to get you out of here. It's not safe for our princess to be out so late at night. We don't want the Jabberwocky to get you, do we?"

Alice gasped, "Oh my goodness, you're right. Are ya gonna take me back to the White Queen's castle, so I can be with the Mad Hatter again?"

"We sure are. C'mon, we'll take you there in our special carriage." They gently took her from the swing and put her carefully in the back of the squad car, driving straight through the night until they reached Arkham Asylum.

This little fopaux had earned her a special trip to the funny farm, all expenses paid.

_It just doesn't make any sense. I've been taking my pills like clockwork, and seeing my state issued quack on a weekly basis. What the hell happened to make me lose control like this? It couldn't have been the little run in I had with that Carnival fella, could it?_

The patient folded her arms behind her head with a scoff.

_No, that just didn't make any sense. How could talking to a clown drive someone crazy?_

How indeed.

\-------------------------

The room's heavy steel door creaked open hours later, effectively waking the patient from her much needed cat nap. She sat up with a large yawn, stretching the stiffness from her achy muscles and tired bones as a tall, handsome man with black hair and dark brown eyes entered the room.

He had an intelligent, well educated look on his relatively young face; and was dressed in a dark blue cardigan sweater, light blue long sleeve dress shirt, brown slacks, black dress shoes, and white lab coat. Dr. Arkham, I presume?

"Good evening, Alice. Did you have a good nap? Are you ready to go back home now?" Dr. Arkham asked in the same condescending tone of voice Dr. Leland had used. The woman stood from the bed, moaning in pleasure at the feel of the vertebra popping in her spine.

"Yes sir, I'm ready to go home now. And it's Jennifer, if ya don't mind. Were both of my bosses informed of my two week constitutional?" she asked, following Dr. Arkham into the hallway.

The young doctor smirked at her sudden change in demeanor. The sweet, fun-loving princess Alice was put into a deep sleep; and in her place, was the intelligent, hard working secretary/ book keeper Jennifer.

"I made sure to keep both of your bosses informed of what transpired, and you will most definitely have your full time bookstore job and part time library job to go back to." He answered in a more professional baritone.

Jennifer sighed in relief, as they reached the front desk. "Thank goodness. I honestly don't know what came over me. One minute, I had complete control over Alice; and the next..."

"It is a bit of a mystery, isn't it?" Dr. Arkham got to work signing the rather impressive stack of release forms that would grant Jennifer's full pardon, releasing her back into "normal" society.

"But the important thing is that she's under control; and we got you out of Wonderland, just in the nick of time."

"Thank you so much for your help, doctor. I swear that I'll do my best to keep her under complete control, from now on."

"That's all we ask." Dr. Arkham signed the final release form with a relieved sigh. "Okie dokie, you're good to go. Keep taking your medication as prescribed, make sure to attend every therapy session we set for you, and call us if you start to feel yourself lose control."

"Yes sir," Jennifer mumbled, with another large yawn. She had hardly slept at all these past two weeks. Damn those rock hard, looney bin cots.

"Oh, and don't stop making and playing with those little puppets of yours. You've got some real talent. It'd be a shame for it to go to waste" Dr. Arkham quipped with a good natured chuckle. He pushed a white cardboard box towards her with a wink as he turned and walked back inside.

\-------------------------

Jennifer carefully opened the lid and removed all the items she had on her person, when the police had taken her away ho-ho hee-hee ha-haaa. She was hoping for a change of normal clothes, but no such luck.

Packed inside was her entire Princess Alice costume; complete with dress, apron, panty hose, Halloween wig, high heeled Mary Janes, silk gloves, rhinestone jewelry, and matching crown. There were also the two hand made Red Queen and White Queen marionettes that she used to entertain the children that day.

She was just about to close the box and hand it over to the desk clerk, when something colorful caught her attention. Taking another look inside, her eyes widened at the sight of the very same black and white magic wand Carnival had given her, its bouquet of colorful paper flowers still sprouted from one end of the cheap, plastic stick.

Jennifer reached in and pulled the keepsake from the bottom of the cardboard box, with a nervous swallow. There it was, her reason for being here. The one little thing that had managed to push her straight over the edge.

She should just throw it away; forget all about Carnival. But how could she do something like that, to such a kind and loving man?

They may have only spoken for a moment or two, but that was more than enough time for this delightful jester to leave a lasting impression on her. In fact, the only thing she thought about for the past two weeks, was that cute, skinny clown with his large emerald eyes, red painted smile, and silly neon green wig.

The memory of his soft lips, kissing the back of her silk covered hand simply took her breath away. But it was when sweet dreams of his graceful dance moves haunted her mind in the dead of night, that a certain, intimate part of herself tingled and trembled with a powerful need, she had never really felt before.

With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and felt around for Alice. She was asleep, good. It seems that the quacks at Arkham actually did their jobs for once, and put sleeping beauty down for an extended nap.

Her calm, collected demeanor also meant that her other, darker self was sound asleep too; locked up tight in her cage, as always. That was the one part of herself that worried Jennifer the most, because if that side of herself ever broke free... God help us all!

Fortunately, she had been able to lock that darkness away in a cage long ago, only having endure the 'sound' of its hateful voice as it cried for vengeance against this cold, uncaring world. 

Jennifer opened her eyes and grabbed her outfit and shoes, before disappearing into an empty storage room. It didn't take her long to change, since she didn't really have to worry about putting on on her wig, gloves, jewelry, or crown.

But because she forgot to bring an extra pair of glasses with her, and was forced to wear a pair of broken, hand me downs for those two weeks, she had a hell of a time getting used to her colored contacts again.  
\-------------------------  
One long, humiliating bus ride later, Jennifer was finally back in her dingy, rat infested apartment building. And, as usual, the building's only elevator was out of order. Surprise, surprise.

Taking an extra key from a secret spot near the mail room, Jennifer lugged the rest of her costume, magic wand, and marionettes up 8 flights of stairs in her high heel shoes. By the time she was standing in front of her heavy wood door, with its cracked frame and chipped paint, her poor feet were fucking killing her.

This was the absolute last time she ever lost control over Alice, that was for damn sure. Jennifer was going to take her meds as prescribed; keep her weekly appointments with the over paid and under educated hacks; and work out her imaginative urges with the barrage of wooden puppets that hung all over her cramped bedroom.

She jiggled the key and used her shoulder to work her way inside, as frustrated thoughts ran through her exhausted mind.

_What about the initial urge that had caused me to lose control in the first place? How was I going to keep that from happening again? And what was it about Carnival that had made me go off the deep end like that?_

Walking straight into her bedroom, Jennifer let out a sudden gasp. She now understood what it was about Carnival that made Alice think she could take complete control. It was the fantasy surrounding the clown character himself. It was almost as if he was the mischievous Mad Hatter, her vexatious Alice had been looking for.

Neither of them knew anything about the real Carnival, not even his real name. But maybe, just maybe, if Jennifer were to get to know the man behind the makeup, she could stop herself from falling so far away from reality again.

She wondered what the man himself was like. Was he kind and sweet? Smart and funny? Well, he certainly had to be, to want to spend his time entertaining children with magic tricks and balloon animals.

After throwing everything on a nearby chair, the poor, crazy woman collapsed on her comfy, comfy bed. She fell right into a deep, dreamless sleep; much too tired to change out of her costume or even shut off the light. _Be it ever so cheap and run down, there's no place like home._

\-------------------------

12 hours later, Jennifer woke up feeling more well rested than she had in a long time. She didn't even care that her hair was badly tangled and in need of a wash, nor that she would need to carefully iron the deep wrinkles from her costume. The only thing that mattered, was that she was out of that place; hopefully for good.

Jennifer spent the rest of the day, catching back up on the life she was temporarily forced to leave behind. She took a long, hot shower; cleared two weeks' worth of dust and dirt from her apartment; threw away all the rotten food from the fridge; and paid the overdue bills that had been left on her kitchen table, the day she left.

Once everything was all caught up, she walked back into her now spotless bedroom, or as spotless as it could be stuffed with a large variety of marionettes, plush animals, and porcelain figurines decorating every square inch.

After picking up the bouquet of paper flowers from the nearby chair, she plopped down on the edge of her bed. Gently stroking the different colors of each fragile petal, Jennifer couldn't help but see the humor in the fact that a simple little magic trick, could cause so much trouble.

Suddenly, she felt something, or rather someone, wake up from her long nap. 

_Well Good Morning, sleeping beauty. It's about time you got your lazy ass out of bed._ Jennifer thought to herself with a harsh, sarcastic tone.

_Jennifer? W-What happened? Where's the Mad Hatter? Why aren't we in the White Queen's castle, anymore?_

_Because you went off the deep end, and we had to spend two weeks in Arkham. That's why._

_O-Oh...oh my dear friend, I am so, so sorry. I know we had an agreement...but, well..._

_I know, I know._ Jennifer let out a deep, internal sigh _There was something about that man, Carnival. He struck a cord with you, didn't he?_

_He did, but... how do you know about that?_

_Because I feel the same way about him, that's why._

Alice was silent for a few minutes, until she spoke with a barely audible whisper. _Are you going to kill me?_

Jennifer chuckled _No, of course I'm not going to kill you. We've been through too much, you and I. And despite everything that's happened in the last two weeks, I still love you. You've been with me through thick and thin. How could I kill my bestest friend in the whole wide world? No, we just need to reevaluate our relationship, so this doesn't happen again. That's all._

_Alright, I'm listening._

Jennifer thought it over for awhile and, after careful deliberation, came to a decision. Alice could keep her wand and become lost in her precious Wonderland...On one condition.

She was only to lose herself in the dreams they shared during the night. And the moment that alarm clock rang, bringing them back from the brink of their fantasy land, Alice was to allow Jennifer to take charge once more.

Unless, of course, it was time to delight the children; or, perhaps, when they both listened to music on the bus or subway. These were the only times Alice was allowed to come out and play, during the day. And only when Jennifer had complete control over her.

But, as long as Alice could cuddle her flowers while drifting off into her perfect world, with memories of her perfect man, who was she to say no?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the last chapter took two months to write (sorry about that, by the way lol) I will try to get one new chapter up once a week, preferably on Monday. This chapter and the next will tell us more about who Alice is, and where she's been in the weeks leading up to Arthur's transformation into the Joker. 
> 
> Oh, and please be sure to write a comment down below, so I know what you guys think of it. I do understand just how nerve wracking it can be to leave a comment on a story, be it good or bad; but we authors live for this kind of feedback.
> 
> So please don't be frightened, I won't bite...much ;)


	4. If You Can't Find A Friend, Make One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I was unable to post my new chapter on Monday, I decided to do it on Halloween as a special treat for my readers. This is our formal introduction to Jennifer's dark side. It's longer than my other chapters, but has a much more interesting story to tell.

Princess Alice was swinging back and forth on her own private swing, in her own private playground, in her own secret garden. Nothing but the best for Wonderland's true monarch; after the White Queen, of course.

The Red Queen had been defeated long ago. Forever imprisoned in a dungeon; far below Wonderland, never to show her ugly, hagard face again.

Alice had begun her slow ascension and descent when she noticed the chromaflair, color changing sky shift from a bright mixture of light blues and neon greens, to blood red and black.

Slowing to a stop, the lively princess was just about to step off her surprisingly comfortable swing when she felt thin, elegant hands cover her torquoise colored eyes.

"Guess who?" a gentle man's voice whispered in her ear.

"Carnival, is that you?" Alice giggled, turning around when she felt the hands fall from her eyes.

"Not quite," she heard the man whisper, as she opened her eyes to the sight of a horrifically warped version of her beloved clown. She screamed.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Jennifer shot up from her bed with a terrified screech; tears falling from her red-rimmed eyes as sharp pants fell from her lips.

Thank God, it was all a dream.

She thought tiredly to herself, picking up her alarm and throwing it against the far wall, effectively silencing it for good. With a relieved sigh, she fell back into her pillows.

Ever since Jennifer was released from Arkham a week ago, things have just been getting worst and worst. She had almost been fired from her full time job for 14 consecutive days of no call/ no show; Damn you Arkham, you lying sack of crap you. Then she had nearly been evicted for paying her rent a day late. Her landlord was such a dick.

And, to top it all off, some asshole had broken into her apartment and stolen all of her Mother's jewelry from her room, as well as her $400 rainy day fund from the bread box. Thank God, her parents' wedding rings and the diamonds from her Grandmother's engagment ring were still safely hidden in a lock box at the First National Bank of Gotham.

Jennifer threw back her covers tiredly, and slid her bare feet from the warmth of her cuddly blanket to the icy coldness of the hard, pinewood floor. Nothing wakes you up at the crack of dawn, quite like a shock to the system.

With a jaw popping yawn, Jennifer took a long shower and got dressed for the day. Sitting on her well-worn couch, she watches the morning news, eating breakfast as rubs her long, thick hair dry.

Apparently, two weeks away was just enough time for Gotham to go to Hell in a hand basket. The news had constant coverage of some unidentified killer clown, who murdered 3 wealthy wall street tycoons, over a week ago.

Usually clowns didn't bother Jennifer, at all. In fact, she found many of them entertaining, as well as endearing. But there was something about the police sketches on all the Wanted posters and television news stations that just seemed off-putting.

Since today was her first day off in over a week, Jennifer decided to let this uneasy feeling go, to focus on the day ahead. She had had to put in double time at both jobs just to catch up, not to mention paying an extra 20 bucks to keep the landlord from evicting her.

The news then changed to the daily fluff piece, as she walked into the kitchen for some more of that wonderful nectar of the Gods, known to many overworked adults as coffee. She poured a nice cinnamon flavored dark roast into her favorite mug, sipping the tangy, bitter liquid with a relieved sigh.

With another large yawn, Jennifer turned and walked back to her bedroom. She only truly felt at peace when surrounded by her real friends. Her beloved marionettes; how she loved them.

She had several _the-rapists_ tell her that the only way to function normally in the real world, was to find real friends. So, they "suggested" she throw herself into the deep end, and converse with total strangers.

Yeah, like that was gonna happen to someone with her social skills, or lack there of. Jennifer always had trouble socializing with normal kids, which set the stage for non-stop teasing and tormenting from her peers.

It wasn't until just last year that she was diagnosed with a newly discovered disorder known as "Asberger's Syndrome" which was part of something called "Austim Spectrum Disorder." This was in addition to many of her other mental illnesses, such as Multiple Personality Disorder and Schizotypal Disorder, to name just a few.

Now, one would think that she would have a fully accredited mental health professional properly diagnose her. Yeah fucking right. Every psycho knew that 90% of psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists were overpaid quacks and hacks, who never put any real effort into their jobs.

Jennifer had to diagnose herself with the correct mental illness every single time, not to mention do all of the research into the proper medication that would help her "function in the real world." The so-called "professionals" became nothing more than legalized drug dealers. But she digressed.

"Good morning, my darlings," she said, acknowledging each and every wooden puppet, as if they were the only ones in the world who actually acknowledged her existence. "And how is everyone doin' today?"

"Officer Brandon, always looking good," she nodded to a round, silly looking cop.

"Ah, Glitter Gary. Still trying to give Liberace a run for his money, I see." she said, running her fingers along the smooth silk suit of a sleezy looking male singer.

_Well, aren't we being rude this morning. You're not going to even say hello to your bestest friend in the whole wide world?_

Jennifer turned towards the source of the voice. It wasn't Alice's kind, loving voice. Oh no, this one was far more sinister and definitely uglier. God how she hated it. Placed in the very center of a small table, set against the far wall of her room, was a fairly old fashioned hand made marionnette, locked in an antique glass case set in a dark oak wood frame.

It had long white hair with matching eyes, and was dressed in a gothic version of a traditional ballerina outfit that was a mixture of red and black. It had red and black striped stockings, black leather boots, black leather jackets, black fingerless gloves, and shiny metal fingers. It's face was painted a ghastly ivory with black and red accents all around, and solid black lines painted in downward strokes down the side of its stern mouth.

This weird looking puppet certainly stood out among the rest, and, strangely enough, had no strings attached anywhere on its slim, fragile body. It was seated on a blood red velvet platform that, for whatever reason, allowed it to sit perfectly straight.

No amount of shaking or shifting could move the perfectly seated doll. It figures that this would be the one puppet, the thieves wouldn't fuck with. Many of the others had been yanked off the ceiling, and either torn to shreds or smashed to pieces.

"You're not my friend, No Name. And you never will be," Jennifer remarked, with a distasteful sneer, " the only reason I don't break you open and try to throw you in the fire, is because Mother would rise from the grave just to kill me."

\-------------------------

**No Name had been handed down in Jennifer's family for generations. It went all the way back to her great, great, something or other Grandfather, who was a Duke or Earl in Ireland during the 17th century. He was a stern man, who owned one of many haunted castles that decorated that charming little island in the UK.

According to legend, the doll was owned by an old gypsy woman who tried to barter it, in exchange for a one night stay from a violent storm. Being the grim jerk he was, the man had basically told her to fuck off. That didn't sit very well with the elderly woman, since she shoved the cursed doll in his hands and disappeared.**

**Supposedly, that little doll cursed her entire family, to suffer centuries of bad luck and misfortune. Which was pretty ridiculous when you thought about it. Jennifer's maternal side of the family had the same sort of luck and fortune as any other family.

Of course, that could be due to the fact that her Maternal Great Grandmother had taken the doll to her local Jewish synogoge. The Rabbi in charge had locked it in a dybbuk box; the very same glassbox it was locked in at the moment.

According to the Rabbi, the doll could not be destroyed, while the curse surrounding it was too powerful to be broken. Also, the doll can only be passed between the man's descendents. So, in order for the doll to safely be passed from one member of the family to the next, that particular person must remove the doll, dress it in the current fashion, and lock it back up.

And the night that the current owner dreamed of who amongst their female relatives would next receive the cursed puppet, it would be given to the next person in line, within 24 hours of the dream...**

Jennifer didn't really believe in curses, but if it placated her Mother, she would dress it in a different outfit. So, when she was given the doll on her 8th birthday, she chose the most interesting outfit she could think of.

Since before she could remember, Jennifer loved both the light and dark side of life. She played with pink princesses and unicorns, while collecting classic movie monster statues and grotesque figurines.

So, she had her mother create the same gothic ballerina dress and stockings it now wore, while taking the boots, jacket, and fingerless gloves from her precious Biker Barbie doll to finish the ensemble. She and her Mother changed the outfits, and locked it back up tight.

Unfortunately, unlike most of the other women from her mother's side of the family, Jennifer suffered from a multitude of severe mental illness; one of which was a pretty cut and dry case of 'split personality disorder.'

She couldn't really remember what traumatizing event caused this. But it must have been something horrible, to split her straight down the middle.

Because of this, the darkness within the doll somehow merged to the darkness within Jennifer. The result had been "No Name", the evil side that resided within every person come to life, in so many words.

But since the doll was still locked in the glass box, so too was her dark side. But that didn't mean Jennifer couldn't listen to her talk.  
\-------------------------  
  
_Oh Jennifer tsk tsk tsk I am hurt. We've been through so much, you and I. Remember, when those cunts in that stupid clic tried to kick your ass, after you stuck up for yourself ? Remember what you did to them?_

"Yeah, you convinced me to crack their skulls open with a metal bat. Thank fucking God, they and their families were illegal immigrants or I'd have been arrested.

_Pffft like anyone would have arrested a 10 year old, for beating up a bunch of 14 year olds. Who, by the way, shouldn't have been fucking with you in the first place._

Jennifer rolled her eyes with a sigh. There was just no talking to No Name when she was like this. She turned to leave with a shake of her head, stopping in the doorway when she heard No Name whisper to her again.

_When are you going to give me a real name?_

"When you've earned the right to have one." And just like that, Jennifer was gone, sitting back in the living room just in time for _Price is Right._ Cheers of enthusiastic audience members filled the living room as No Name's anger began to manifest itself into reality, causing hair line fractures to creep along the surface of the glass.

Just as No Name was beginning to imagine her revenge, a news report interrupted Jennifer's favorite gameshow.

"Oh, what the fuck now!?"

A middle aged man with a fake spray tan, and salt and pepper hair reported about Thomas Wayne's sudden decision to run for Mayor of Gotham City. This was in obvious response to the clown protests that were caused by the murder of the three wealthy business men. Jennifer was intrigued when Thomas Wayne's ugly, weathered face appeared on screen.

This fat fuck was really serious, wasn't he? He really thought he could became Mayor of Gotham City. She continued watching, as Thomas talked about the tragic murders of the young investors, and about how, like all Wayne's employees, past and present, they were family.

He then talked about how cowardly the killer was, to hide behind a clown mask. But what really made her laugh was when Thomas referred to the protestors as nothing, but clowns.

"Yeah. Go ahead and call 99% of your constituents clowns, you dumb fuck. See where that gets you." Jennifer said in jest, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at the audacity of this idiotic man. God, how she despised rich people.

\-------------------------

"For the last time, I can't give out any of my employee's personal information." Hoyt said in exasperation.

"Can't you at least tell me his real name? I mean, the guy's already been let go, so I highly doubt he's got the funds to take you to court. Please, can't you help me out, even a little?" Jennifer pleaded.

Hoyt sighed in frustration as he slumped down in his cheap, swivel chair. "Listen toots, even if wanted to give out that information, I wouldn't advice it. This Carnival guy is a sick, dangerous fuck. You'd better forget him, if you know what's good for you."

That was all he had to say on the matter. Hoyt dismissed her from his office as he went back to his paperwork. Knowing she wouldn't get anything else from him, Jennifer turned and walked out the door.

She had reached the top of the stairs, when a kindly male's voice with a thick, cockney accent acknowledged her.

"Ma'am, I heard that you were looking for Carnival. Is that right?"

Jennifer turned to see a sweet looking dark hair dwarf standing behind her. _Finally, someone's who not a complete selfish prick_. she thought to herself with a sigh of relief.

"Yes, I am. I don't suppose you'd know his address or phone number, or at least what is real name might be."

"I'm afraid, I can't tell you his phone number or address, luv. But I can give you his name: Arthur Fleck."

_Arthur Fleck, what a cute name_

"Thank you so much, sweetie. I really do appreciate it."

"Anytime, luv." he answered with a wink, turning and walking back towards what appeared to be a men's changing room.

Jennifer walked down the stairs, out the door, and through the street. She walked towards the nearest phone booth, hoping to find what she was looking for in the yellow pages. Fortunately, it didn't take long for her to find his street address and phone number.

What do you know, he lived just a couple of blocks from her apartment building. Sure, she could call him and ask him out; but what was she supposed to say?

_Hey Carnival, it's Alice. You probably don't remember me, but I sure remember you. I just got your real name from a friend of yours, and thought I'd give you a call. Sorry I wasn't able to get in touch with you until today; I spent the last two weeks in Arkham and another week catching up with work. Anyway, wanna go out on a date sometime?_

Somehow, she doubted this would work in her favor. Instead, she took the bus to the poor side of town and walked towards his apartment building. Halfway there, she slowed to a stop next to the entrance of a cheap little pharmacy that filled her prescriptions for her.

She ducked inside just as an emaciated man with pale skin, wavy brown hair, and expressive green eyes walked out. Jennifer stopped in the doorway to take a closer look at him, until he turned and walked towards the steep stairway that lead to several apartments buildings.

Although the man was a complete stranger to her, he seemed so familiar. Wait a minute, could that be the person she had been searching for, all these weeks? It couldn't be, could it?

Before she could open her mouth to speak to him, the man had vanished. She walked back out the door and towards the steep stairway, but he was already gone. 

Not to be deterred, Jennifer climbed each arborous step as fast as she could. Just before she reached the top, though, it began to rain. And not even a light sprinkle either; this was a complete downpour. The poor girl was totally drenched as she ran the rest of the way to Arthur's apartment building.

Luckily, the building's security system was broken, which meant she didn't need to be buzzed in. She marched into the building, heading right towards the rickety old elevator. She took it to Arthur's floor and stepped out, just as she saw him walk into an apartment to the right.

She was about to call his name when she heard the unmistakable sound of a woman's laughter accompanied by the lilty giggle of an amused child, come from the apartment the man just stepped into. With a resolute sigh, Jennifer stepped back into the elevator and rode it back to the first floor.

Of course, a guy as cute and sweet as Arthur had a wife and child. Jennifer couldn't understand why she deluded herself into thinking that she had found the man of her dreams. She wiped a tear away with a sniff, as she remembered their initial meeting.

It made sense that he had acted as a gleeful child to her. He was a clown, after all; it was his job to make others feel happy and joyous. Jennifer walked back home in the heavy rain; crying herself to sleep, as she clutched the magic bouquet close to her heart.

\-------------------------  
  
A week had gone by since then, and Jennifer still couldn't stop thinking about Arthur. Every instinct told her to call him up, ask him out; but she refused to be a homewrecking whore. The loneliness may be slowly killing her, but not even that was viable excuse to destroy someone's family. 

Wrestling her apartment door open with all her might, Jennifer entered her living room with an exhausted sigh. Gotham had just been getting shittier by the day. The trash kept piling up, the rats kept getting bigger, and the riots were growing out of control.

She threw her bags on the floor and tore her clown mask from her face. Man, she hated wearing this damn thing all the time. But if she didn't wear it whenever she went outside, she was almost guaranteed to be raped, murdered, or God knows what else.

It all had to do with the mess started by that psychopathic clown, who was somehow compelled to murder those three wealthy investors. The news said he did it 'for no apparent reason' But Jennifer knew from experience, that things were not quite that cut and dry. More than likely, they were the ones who instigated it. Not like anyone would actually believe that.

Jennifer walked into her bedroom and got ready for bed, exchanging her tight dress and chafing pantyhose, for an old band T-shirt and loose fitting pajama bottoms. She was about to leave when something near the bathroom door caught her eye. The glass case her family heirloom was encased in had begun to crack.

In all the years the doll had been locked inside, the case had always remained in absolute mint condition. The wood had never worn; the red velvet lining had never faded; and the glass had never chipped away. So, why was the glass beginning to crack, when she hadn't touched it since first moving to Gotham over a year ago?

Before No Name could answer that question for her, Jennifer quickly left her bedroom and grabbed a beer from the kitchen. She checked her messages before chilling out on the sofa and turning on the old boob tube. She flicked through the channels while sipping the cold, bitter liquid; finding absolutely nothing worth watching.

She stopped channel surfing, when she heard an orchestral version of Frank Sinatra's _That's Life,_ followed by a loud man announcing the name of the show's host: Murray Franklin.

"Oh God, I hate this fucking guy," Jennifer muttered to herself with groan.

While this elderly late night television host was beloved by millions; Jennifer was not one of them. Sure he had entertaining guests and a great orchestra, but the guy was the unfunniest, most judgmental prick she had ever seen in her life. Suffice to say, Murray Franklin was not her cup of tea.

But there's was nothing else to watch, so she left it on. As usual, the announcer listed off the names of the guests for tonight's show. Two of them she knew fairly well: an actor and some weird sex therapist; but the third she never heard of before: Joker.

"Huh, that's kind of an odd name for someone to go by," Jennifer muttered to herself as she downed half off the bottle in one go. Soon enough, the first two guests' turn on the show was over. Time for the main event.

The screen then switched to a recording of amateur night at _Pogo's._ The same emaciated man she saw on the street last week was behind the mike, obviously suffering from a severe anxiety attack manifesting itself into a pseudobulbar induced laughing fit.

And, as usual, it switched to scenes of Murray from an earlier episode, making fun of the poor man. What an asshole.

The clip ended with Murray and the first two guests questioning the strange man's sexuality, before condolences were given to the officers that had been killed by protesters on the train that night.

And finally, the one and only Joker was introduced with cheers and fanfare galore. And from the red curtain, danced the clown prince of crime himself; dressed in his murderous best. After indulging in a very inappropriate French kiss with the sex therapist, he sat down and started the interview.

But no matter how hard Murray tried to bring Joker down, he was more than able to turn it around on the show host with a couple of perverse jokes, both of which had Jennifer laughing harder than she had in a long time.

From there, the men started a really interesting and insightful dialogue, which began with Joker confessing to murdering the three wealthy businessmen. This made something inside Jennifer grow cold, as a very familiar angry and bitter voice from the back of her head began to cheer him on.

As Joker lamented on how his life had become a comedy, Jennifer could hear the sound of cracking glass emerge from her bedroom. The sounds became louder as the tension between the talk show host and the clown grew and grew, until it eventually came to a very violent end.

"How about another joke, Murray?"

_crack_

"What do you get, when you cross a mentally ill loner with a society that abandons him and treats him like trash?!"

_crack_

"I'll tell you what you get!!"

_crack_

"YOU GET WHAT YOU FUCKING DESERVE!!" 

Right when Joker pulled out a gun and shot Murray square in the head, the sound of smashing glass came from Jennifer's bedroom in perfect synchronization to the screams and cries of fear coming from the members of the audience.

"What the fuck was that?!" Jennifer yelped as she leapt from the couch and ran to her bedroom. Turning on the light, she was met with the sight of a floor full of broken glass and No Name sitting perfectly among the rubble. 

_What's my name?!?_ the doll's sinister voice commanded calmly from within Jennifer's head.

The hardened coldness of its voice was now powerful enough to render its master virtually speechless for several minutes, until she answered in a barely audible whisper.

"Marionette."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Since tonight is Halloween, I decided to make my own scary story based off of one of my favorite princess movies and two of my favorite horror movies. Let's see if you guys can guess the name of the princess movie and the two horror movies I used as inspiration in the comments below**
> 
> Happy Halloween!!


	5. I Think About You Day and Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to upload. I've been working alot and have been pretty sick for the last 3 weeks. It wasn't the dreaded corona virus, thank God lol just a really nasty head cold and flu that evolved into acute bronchitis. 
> 
> Also, I wasn't really feeling as inspired, as I was before. I had a hard time deciding which direction to take this story in. I finally figured it out, and worked non- stop to bring it to life lol.
> 
> It will be from both Arthur and Jennifer's points of view, and will be set in the past which will eventually lead to the present. I will put in a time frame schedule in the next chapter that shows where each person was during certain events of the movie in the end notes. Hopefully it won't be too confusing.
> 
> I also added a little bit of naughty clown on princess action just for fun. So, be on the lookout for that ;)
> 
> So, hopefully, you guys enjoy this Christmas present lol  
> I'd also like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

**Arthur**   
**(2 weeks after his capture)**

Arthur had no idea how long ago he'd been admitted to the high security wing of Arkham Asylum. It could have been a day, a week, or even a month; it was really anyone's guess. All he knew for sure, was that he hated every second fucking that he was forced to be there.

The only thing that kept him sane, or as sane as he could ever hope to be, was the memory of his all too brief encounter with Princess Alice. He didn't need to know her real name, or even what she really looked like, to know that he was starting to have serious feelings for her.

She had become his only salvation, and he would do anything to find her, absolutely anything.

Arthur had initially planned to escape the first day he arrived in this hellhole, but things had not really gone according to plan. Because he had been a naughty boy and allowed Joker to kill Dr. Leland, the orderlies had wrapped him up in a straight jacket, and tossed his crazy ass right into the nearest padded cell.

This highly unpredictable monster of his, had been so much easier to control when it was locked up tight in its own little cage. But ever since those three rich assholes beat him senseless on the train, allowing the beast to finally break free, Arthur's life had just spiraled out of control.

Things only got worst when Arthur lost access to the very expensive medication that had kept him, or rather it, sedated. And then he had lost his state issued caseworker; a woman who would sooner lock him up with the rest of the lunatics, than give him any sort of credible advice.

Without his multitude of pills, as well as the overworked and underpaid hack, poor Arthur was just like the rest of the crazies: screaming obscenities at the imaginary demons in his head, while making friends with shadows on his walls. He didn't want to be like the rest of those nut jobs, though.

Spending years in Arkham Asylum on the taxpayer's dime, only to rot away on the streets was not Arthur's idea of a good life. So, he had tried as hard as he could to keep his job as a party clown and pay his bills, while taking care of his sick Mother.

Unfortunately, there was only so much someone could take, until they couldn't take anymore.

Despite what his court appointed psychologist, the media, and the rest of society thought, though, Arthur wasn't crazy; he was just a little unwell. Something deep inside, told him that his Princess Alice might be the only one who possibly understand. Good fucking God, he hoped he was right about her.

Tomorrow, he was going to be let out of his cell for a special one on one therapy session with the new psychiatric intern, Dr. Jonathan Crane. And boy, would he have something to say to that little prick.

This would probably be the only opportunity, he would ever have to put his plan into action. So, he better make the most of it. Only then, would he know for sure.

\-------------------------

**Jennifer**   
**(3 weeks after leaving Arkham)**

After working a daunting 12 hour shift at the local book store, Jennifer wanted nothing more than to go home and drop dead on her comfy bed. But she couldn't even do that. Instead, this poor working girl had to wait in the world's longest line.

It was just her luck, she was last in line behind every argumentative senior in the neighborhood; simply because she couldn't sleep or function a single day, without her monthly supply of antipsychotics and antidepressants.

Finally, after an hour and a half of mind numbing boredom, it was her turn. She received Ritalin for her ADD; Zoloft for depression; Seroquel for her schizotypal personality disorder, split personality disorder, and autism; and Valium and Lithium for her psychosis and intermittent explosive disorder.

These medications were the only way, someone with her sick mind could function in "normal" society. And she knew just how lucky she was to have a full time job with actual, honest to God benefits. Not to mention, being lucky enough to have two bosses who overlooked her mental illnesses, in favor of her more than impressive work ethic.

And the fact that her parents loved her enough to put her through 13 years of behavior modification therapy, really seemed to make all the difference. Although, she certainly could have done without some of the more invasive, and rather archaic, forms of "the-rapy".

Her Mom and Dad could have just thrown her in the looney bin and be done with it. In all honesty, she wouldn't have blamed them one little bit.

But no matter how hard Jennifer tried or how heavily medicated she was, she just could not function like everybody else. She tried going to parties and making friends, but just couldn't connect with the people around her. She also tried making friends with polite customers and asking for their phone numbers, which only resulted in the loss of their business.

Although she seemed to have a certain repertoire with the children she entertained as Princess Alice, it didn't take away from the fact that she needed adult friends her own age. Making friends with children was just too weird and creepy. Not that she was mentally ill enough, to even think of that as a possibility.

There had only really been one adult her age, she managed to form some sort of connection with; and he had been the reason, she spent 2 weeks in the nut house. Regardless, she still couldn't get Carnival out of her mind. Even in her dreams, she was haunted by the graceful movements and boisterous laughter of this incredibly handsome clown.

So much so, that she could actually feel herself fall just a little in love with this man's goofy demeanor and child like innocence. And when she discovered his real name and what he looked like beneath all that makeup, she could feel herself fall even more in love.

Jennifer always adored cute, skinny guys with long hair and kind, loving hearts. And there he was in the flesh, so to speak.

His wavy brown hair framed an exquisitely handsome though emaciated face, complete with thick black eyebrows, hollow cheeks, deep laugh lines, a hawkish nose, and the most incredible emerald eyes Jennifer had ever seen.

There had also been an interesting cleft pallet scar above the left side of his thin lips, which gave his face even more character; further setting him apart from all the rest.

Just thinking about those exotic good looks made her knees grow weak and a certain part of her anatomy tingle. She knew this was all wrong. The man was married with a child, for God's sakes. But she still couldn't help how she felt.

As Jennifer walked home through the approaching darkness, a sudden thought occurred to her. Since she couldn't have the real things, maybe she could make her very own Arthur and Carnival. Hell, she could make her own Joker, while she was at it.

_And why the fuck not? I mean, it's not like you make any friends to keep_ me _company_.

Marionette's annoying voice echoed deep within Jennifer's troubled mind. Ever since, the once nameless demon escaped her glass tomb, the night everything went to Hell, she had been taking more and more control from her puppet master.

There was just something about this Joker fellow that attracted Marionette to him, like a moth to a flame. Maybe it was his hysterical, hyena like laughter, maybe it was his general disregard for life; or maybe, just maybe, it was because the two were kindred spirits.

Whatever the reason, it spelled trouble for Jennifer.

She had basically been forced to double down on her medication, just to keep some semblance of control over her darker side. The last time her darkness had taken this much control, had been a complete disaster. And if Jennifer didn't want to repeat the experience, she may have to give Marionette exactly what she wants.

\-------------------------

**Arthur**   
**(3 weeks after his escape from Arkham)**

After spending so long in the bowels of Arkham Asylum, Arthur found himself settling into his new hideout, surprisingly well. Sure it was a bit of an adjustment, getting used to sharing a large warehouse with complete strangers. But when those strangers worshipped the ground Arthur walked on, who was he to complain?

But as one would expect from such an unusual, and isolating, experience, Arthur eventually got a bit lonely for a real friend. So, he ordered his followers to bring him the only man, who had ever treated him like a true colleague.

Luckily, his best buddy Gary had been fired from his job as a clown, for giving out personal information to a client. The poor little guy had been found living on the streets, when Arthur's men finally managed to track him down. A month of freezing in the bitter cold and begging for change, was all it took to bring the kind hearted midget into Arthur's new world.

With his best friend by his side, Arthur, or should I say Joker, was more than ready to take on the world. It took several more days of planning and scheming, before the great and wonderful clown prince of clown was ready to make his grand appearance.

And oh, the fun they would have.

Late at night, when his men had settled down for a long winter's nap, Arthur would close his eyes and dream his own sweet dream. He imagined life with his pretty princess Alice, in a perfect world of their very own.

And if he concentrated hard enough, he could just about smell that captivating floral perfume of hers. _Secret Wonderland_ , if he wasn't mistaken. As that phantom scent flowed through his twisted mind, Arthur could finally let his imagination soar.

In his mind's eyes, Arthur was dressed as that loveable scamp, Carnival.That zany goof ball of a party clown danced wildly, yet gracefully to the bewitchingly haunting melody; sung by the anthropomorphic flowers, hidden deep within the White Queen's secret garden.

_Little bread-and-butterflies kiss the tulips_   
_And the sun is like a toy balloon_   
_There are get up in the morning glories_   
_In the golden afternoon_

_There are dizzy daffodils on the hillside_   
_Strings of violets are all in tune_   
_Tiger lilies love the dandy lions_   
_In the golden afternoon_

_There are dog and caterpillars and the copper centipede_   
_Where the lazy daisies love the very peaceful life_   
_They lead..._

_You can learn a lot of things from the flowers_   
_For especially in the month of June_   
_There's a wealth of happiness and romance_   
_All in the golden afternoon_

With a deep bow, Carnival ended his whimsical waltz just as he happened upon his darling Alice. She was swinging up and down on a blue and white porcelain swing set, singing along to that same delightful tune.

_You can learn a lot of things from the flowers  
For especially in the month of June  
There's a wealth of happiness and romance  
All in the golden afternoon_

Alice had not a care in the world, as 'ol Carnival snuck right up behind her. Stopping within inches of his favorite playmate, the clown placed his large gloved hands gently over his princess' delicate ones, softly resting his head on her shoulder. "Guess who?"

"Carnival, is that you?!" Alice squealed excitedly.  
  
"You know it!"

The kooky clown wrapped his hands around his princess' tiny waist, effortlessly lifting her from the swing and placing her gently on the soft lush grass below. Pulling her soft, curvaceous body close to his warm, skeletal frame, the love birds began frolicking and fro, like two flowers blowing in a tranquil breeze.

Unfortunately, the dance didn't last long.

With a sudden, high pitched shriek, Alice tripped backwards over a large mushroom, literally falling head over heels. Down went her upper body, causing her knee length hoop skirted dress to flip right up over her head.

"Ahh!! Carnival? Carnival, h-help me. I-I can't get up!"

Instead of helping her, as any true gentleman would, Carnival just stood there, completely frozen to spot. A funny feeling soon began to take hold. This was a feeling unlike anything he ever felt before. A feeling that made him seem lighter than air; a feeling that settled deep in his pants, where his naughty boy bits stayed safely hidden.

Try as he might, Carnival just could not stop staring perversely at the outline of Alice's naughty lady bits. They were hidden in her naughty white thong, with her naughty white leg garters and pantyhose. It certainly didn't help that her legs were spread wide enough, to show Carnival absolutely everything.

Now normally, Arthur wouldn't even think about involving his more innocent side, in such lewd acts of personal gratification. But it was this side of him that first met her, so it was this side of him that got to dream about her. And dream he did.

_How could such an angelic, fun loving party clown, possess such a dirty mind?_ he wondered. That was a mystery, not even the Scooby gang could solve.

Subconsciously, Arthur's hand slowly traveled down his pajama pants, gripping his large, throbbing dick for all it was worth. This hadn't been the first time he masturbated to the memory of a girl, and it wouldn't be the last.

\-------------------------

**Jennifer**   
**(1 month since she left Arkham)**

Between working long hours at the library and book store, entertaining the children at the hospital, and using the last bit of her energy on different chores, Jennifer had little free time to do anything else. Which was why it was a complete shock to her, when she had two whole days off with nothing to do.

The bills were paid, her laundry was done, her apartment was spotless, she had bought all the groceries that she would ever need for the next week or so, and she spent as much time volunteering at the children's hospital, as she possibly could.

_This would be a perfect time to start work on that Joker puppet._ she thought to herself.

Jennifer would much rather have spent her precious free time carving either Arthur or Carnival first, but she knew that having a Joker puppet of her very own, was the only way to keep Marionette happy. And a happy Marionette was a well behaved Marionette.

Fortunately, Jennifer had been collecting newspaper clippings of the infamous Joker for weeks now, both before and after his appearance on the Murray Franklin show, so she had plenty to work with.

And since he was mentioned in several full color Sunday edition papers, she had no trouble gaining access to the proper color scheme for his make up and outfit.

After creating puppets for only a year, Jennifer quickly discovered that she had a real knack for it. All her life, she had wanted to be an artist of some kind; but years of extreme criticism from many of her art teachers, had completely destroyed any hope of that.

And yet here she was, carving the most beautiful and intricate marionette puppets anyone had ever seen, with the brightest and most breathtaking costumes that could put any clothing designer to shame.

Who knew that it took moving to a strange city and spending months in a nut house, to find her true artistic calling? Oh well, that's life.

Interestingly enough, this had all began as an unorthodox form of art therapy, when no other therapy had any desired affect. She never really understood, why the doctors allowed her to carve wood with such sharp instruments; especially considering her "violent" history.

Fucking hacks.

As Jennifer spent hour after hour carving, sanding, polishing, and painting her Joker puppet, while perfectly measuring and sewing his suit from scratch, she entered the same euphoric state of mind that she had entered with all the others.

It seemed that carving her very own wooden puppet friends, was the only thing that pulled this beautiful dreamer back into reality, making her a productive member of society once more.

\-------------------------

**Arthur**   
**(Continued dream)**

In the time it took Alice to stumble to her feet, a copious amount of nasty, immoral thoughts had taken over Carnival's usual clean, joyous ones. While brushing the dust from her dress and fixing her crown, a gasp of shock fell from Alice's soft pink lips.

"C-Carnival? W-What's that in your pants?"

The clueless party clown looked down towards where his princess was pointing, letting out a high pitched shriek when he saw what had gained her rapt attention. Carnival's naughty boy bits had grown large and solid, compared to the usual soft and lax he had more than grown used to.

"Don't look. Please don't look." He sobbed, moaning in pleasure when his hands drifted over his trembling, achy member. He quickly turned his back to Alice, shame written on every inch of his brightly blushing face.

"Are you alright, Carnival? You look like you're in pain."

"No, Alice I-I'm fine.." he whimpered, trying to put on a brave face despite his obvious discomfort.

"You are not fine, sweetie. C'mon, let me see. Maybe I can help," Alice reassured him, skipping over to face Carnival head on. She placed both hands on his bony shoulders, before he could turn away from her again.

Carnival bowed his head as Alice slowly dropped to her knees, looking curiously at the very noticeable bulge in the clown's baggy pants. With a good natured chuckle, the sweet princess gently grabbed the modest clown's thin wrists, pulling them away so she could see exactly what was bothering him.

"What is that? A balloon animal?"

"K-Kinda.

"Oooh neat. Can I see it?"

Carnival whimpered again in shame, raising his head so he could look deep into Alice's bright, turquoise eyes. He was surprised to see curiosity and love shine within, rather than disgust and contempt.

"I-I don't think that's a good idea, Alice."

"Please!" She begged, her bottom lip turning up into a childish pout "I'm not gonna pop it, I promise. I just wanna see, why it's hurtin' you so bad. I might even be able to make you feel better."

Before he could voice his objection, Alice's nimble fingers wiggled underneath Carnival's orange vest and unclasped his thin black suspenders. Down went his patchwork ragamuffin pants, revealing a very large pole, tenting pure white boxers with small red hearts on them. These were carefully pealed away, revealing the direct source of his extreme discomfort.

The poor, unfortunate jester was sporting a very impressive 8 inch long 3 inch wide, bright red circumcised pecker. Carnival let out another high pitched shriek, when he looked down to see himself in all his half naked, perverted glory.

In an absolutely perfect rendition of the late, great Charlie Chaplin, Carnival's long, scrawny arms waved wildly as he tripped backwards over the baggy pants bunched around his stick thin ankles; his bony butt landing on a much larger mushroom than the one Alice tripped over, just moments ago.

Laughing out loud at Carnival's incredibly entertaining antics, Alice dropped to her knees and crawled towards the perturbed, party clown; bouncing lightly on the soft spongy surface, his legs splayed as obscenely wide as his pants would allow. The clown stopped bouncing just as the princess' soft hands rested lightly on his inner thighs.

"Now, stop being such a silly billy, and let me help you." Alice admonished, as she gently took hold of Carnival. It was all the party clown could do, to grab the sides of the large mushroom and hold on for dear life.

Alice carefully explored this strange new phenomena, spending a few moments stroking up and down his warm shaft, finding it odd how something so hard, could be so pliable. Her head tilted in confusion when she felt his heart beat, pulsing steadily in the palm of her hand.

At first, she thought her touches were hurting him; but as Alice's grip tightened and her strokes increased, Carnival's eyes slipped slowly shut. His entire face relaxed completely, as little moans and gasps of pure pleasure proved that not only was he enjoying her erotic fondling, he was practically on cloud nine.

With a lick of her lips, Alice leaned forward and gave this strange, fleshy balloon a cautious peck on its round, leaking head. "Hmmm it tastes salty and a little bitter." she smacks her lips."I like it."

Alice spent the next several minutes sucking and slurping this delightfully, delicious flesh flavored lollipop, wondering just how long it would take to get its yummy, creamy center.

As with all of his many, many nocturnal omissions, Arthur subconsciously took matters into his own hands; imagining the pressure of his fists stroking his dick, to be the cool hands and hot mouth of his precious, princess Alice.

The force of the earth shattering orgasm that followed, was more than enough to wake Arthur from his light slumber; his spent manhood lying limp in both hands. With a renewed sense of vigor, Arthur leapt from his bed and ran out of his room, effectively waking his men from their peaceful rest.

It was time to put his other plan into action. It was time to find his one true love, and make sure she never, ever left his side again. She would stay forever in this new world of theirs; whether she liked it or not.

\-------------------------

**Jennifer**   
**(1 week later)**   
**(Present Day)**

Even after spending over 48 hours expertly crafting the perfect Joker doll for Marionette, the heartless bitch was still just as mean and nasty as ever. Jennifer had done everything in her power to make Marionette happy, and she still wanted more.

Jennifer had eventually attached wires to the doll's extremities, and left her hanging next to one of the windows; allowing her to experience everything Mother Nature had to offer. She then worked her hands to the bone, creating the quintessential companion that Marionette had longed for, all these years.

But it wasn't enough; it would never be enough. Not until Marionette had complete control.

_Silly Marionette_ , Princess Alice's childlike voice chimed in, glaring daggers at the creepy doll, swaying softly in the wind.

_You really think I'd let you take charge, after all the suffering you put Jennifer through? The countless hours she spent with those quacks? The different medications that she had to take? And now, you want to just take over? I don't think so. Not while I'm still around!_

Having said her peace, Alice once again took control of Jennifer's body. She turned towards the large armoire on the left side of the bed, pulling out her entire princess outfit, including her wig, crown, color contacts, and jewelry, and laying it all on her bed.

_Now, if you'll excuse me; the children await!_

With that, Alice carefully packed her princess outfit, two of her puppets, and her clown mask into a large canvas bag before walking right out the door. She made sure to hang the Joker doll across from Marionette, which, if anything, would keep the demonic rag doll company, until she got home.

A quick train ride found Alice standing at the main entrance of The Gotham General Children's Hospital. She hurried inside the sliding glass doors, knowing just how impatient the children and staff would be to see her again.

Since her first visit on Halloween night last year, the patients, nurses, even the doctors had fallen in love with her incredibly well orchestrated puppet shows and melodious singing voice. Alice soon become a very popular headliner, gleefully entertaining the sick children on a regular basis.

Such a shame, she was only a volunteer.

Alice paid little attention to the world around her, as she scurried past a large crowd of nameless, faceless strangers; not even noticing the miniature party clown, standing several feet away.

It took Alice less than 15 minutes to change into her outfit, before heading towards one of the larger playrooms, and putting on the best show of her short career. And oh, how the children loved it!

Bowing her way out the door, to the loud roar of applause from a very enthusiastic audience, Alice passed three orderlies and a party clown standing together in the halls. She didn't think much of the small crowd, until she spotted a very familiar sight.

Loitering near the orderlies, was the midget party clown from outside; the very same one who told her Carnival's real name. Knowing how much a small amount of kindness would mean to the dwarf, she smiled and nodded at him before locking herself in a nearby bedroom.

Changing back into her street clothes, she walked out of the children's hospital; catching the same subway home. Gone was the sweet, innocent princess Alice; and in her place, once more, was the normal, down to earth working girl, Jennifer.

On the ride home, Jennifer slipped out of touch with the real world; letting the music from the well-worn headphones of her Walkman lead the way. She was so lost in her fantasy land, she failed to notice a masked man in a maroon suit, observing her from the next car over.

He spent the entire time simply staring at her; practically stalking her back to her apartment building, when she left the subway train. Once inside, after trudging up 3 flights of concrete steps with her heavy canvas bag, Jennifer disappeared into the bathroom and got ready for bed, before putting on her another show for Marionette.

It had become something of a nightly ritual, to make the Joker puppet come to life for the general amusement of her darker side. Anything to keep that heinous bitch entertained enough, so the working girl could function in normal society for one more day.

Hanging the Joker doll across the room from Marionette once more, Jennifer climbed under the covers and fell right to sleep.

\-------------------------

**Joker**   
**(1 week later)**   
**(Present Day)**

Joker continued watching Jennifer sleep peacefully, his puppet clone held carefully in one arm, as the other hand held the hypodermic needle full of Midazolam. He had learned the perfect way to administer such drugs, without waking the victim; mostly from his time spent in Arkham Asylum.

After expertly injecting her with the sleeping agent, Joker watched closely as the lines of Jennifer's face relaxed into a dreamless, sedative state. But rather than take her away right then and there, the clown prince of crime decided to get to know his pretty princess, a bit better.

Laying his little doppelganger next to her, The mad man further explored Jennifer's bedroom. Other than the multitude of wooden puppets hanging from the off-white ceiling, and the newspapers clippings of yours truly, her room was relatively clean.

While all the puppets had their individual charms, one in particular caught Joker's eye. It was a pale skinned beauty, dressed all in black with snow white hair and ghastly translucent eyes.

It looked ancient yet modern, with its turn of the century harlequin-like paint job and 1970's Barbie biker jacket and boots set against a homemade gothic ballerina outfit.

"Well, hello dollie. What might your name be?" Joker asked, holding his hand to his ear, as if he could hear exactly what she had to say. "Huh? what's that? I can't quite hear you," he tried again.

"Ah, the silent, brooding type hmm? Well, that's okay. I happen to like that in a woman," he confessed with a soft, high pitched cackle.

"How about I name you, huh? Would you like that?" Nothing. "I thought as much. How about I name you, ummm.. let me think, uh, how about... Marionette." Again she didn't answer. "Marionette it is, then." he confirmed with a nod.

Turning towards his sleeping beauty, Joker's natural Cheshire cat grin widened, splitting his heavily painted face in two. "Hello Alice," he whispered sinisterly "Or should I call you, Jennifer? That is your real name, isn't it?"

Joker walked slowly towards her bed, carefully sitting down besides his lost love; leaning closer and closer, until he was mere inches from the girl that almost got away.

"I've been waiting to see you again, for such a long time. Did you know that you've been on my mind, since the very first moment that door hit me on the head?"

"Ever since I looked into your bewitching eyes, heard your melodic laughter, held your delicate hand in mine; I've been in love with you. I just didn't realize how much, until it was almost too late."

Joker proceeded to give Jennifer the most lovingly intense, mind boggling kiss of his life. But unlike the real Sleeping Beauty, it did nothing to wake his princess from her death like slumber.

Leaning back just enough to stare down at Jennifer's sleeping form, Joker gently stroking the back of his hands along her high cheekbones; his gaze soon flickering between her sleeping form and the contents scattered across her bedside table to their right.

Curiosity got the better of him, as he went through the same sort of orange prescription bottles he knew all too well, from exact same pharmacy he'd often visit on a monthly basis.

"What's this? Seroquel, Ritalin, Valium, Lithium? Holy shit!" He began to snigger, flipping through the same sort of journal, his own doctor had forced him to keep for so many years.

"I don't fucking believe this! You're just as crazy as I am!" Joker purred excitedly. "I knew there was something special about you. I just knew it!"

With a quick peck to her forehead, Joker grabbed the same canvas bag that contained Alice's entire costume, and stuffed in some of Jennifer's normal clothes, a pair of glasses, biker boots, her pills, psychiatric journal, Carnival's magical bouquet of fake flowers, a plastic clown mask, the Joker doll, and the Marionette doll.

He zipped it shut before throwing the handles of the bag over his arms, settling the entire bundle over his shoulders. Once Joker had that all settled, he reached down and picked Jennifer up in his surprisingly strong arms.

"C'mon my sweet, psychotic little princess. It's time we went home."


	6. Time Frame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a time frame for the first 5 chapters of the story, which should help my readers get a better idea of where each character was before, during, and after the events of the movie. For those tuning in, chapter 5 is actually a whole new chapter that I uploaded on Christmas day, which extends the story itself. I just uploaded this extra chapter as an add on to prevent any further confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For your holiday pleasure, my own rendition of 12 days of Christmas.
> 
> 12 buildings burning  
> 11 cop cars crashing  
> 10 smoking cigarettes  
> 9 psychos screaming  
> 8 doctors bleeding  
> 7 pills to swallow  
> 6 masked mad men  
> 5 scheming party clowns!  
> 4 slaughtered police men  
> 3 dead assholes  
> 2 murdered parents  
> and an anorexic laughing Joker, waltzing down the stairs.

**Time Frame:**   
**(I figured that this entire thing takes place over the course of about a month; maybe a little longer. The entire length of the movie takes place over the course of a little over two weeks.)**

**1 week before the events of the movie:**

Alice and Carnival meet at the Children's hospital.

Alice goes insane and thinks she's real, is sent to Arkham.

**During half of the events of movie:**

Jennifer/Alice is locked in Arkham Asylum for 2 weeks

Arthur is beaten up in the alley; meets Sophie; gets fired; and kills the men on the subway.

**During some of the later events of the movie:**

Jennifer is let out of Arkham after being in there for 2 weeks. 1 week before the events, and one week during the events of the movie. She goes back to work. She does NOT go back to volunteering at the Children's Hospital yet.

Arthur loses access to his medication; performs at Pogo's; goes on a date with Sophie; confronts his Mother, Alfred, and Thomas Wayne. His mother is sent to the hospital after having a stroke.

**1 day before the final events of the movie:**

Jennifer continues working at the book store and the library. Discovers that Carnival is Arthur and stalks him to his apartment building. Leaves when she sees him walk into Sophie's apartment.

Arthur walks into Sophie's apartment and discovers that what he had with her was not real. Has a mental break down in his apartment, and kills his Mother after learning the truth from her file.

**Night and day of the final events of the movie:**

Arthur ready to appear on the Murray Franklin show. Arthur kills Randel, dresses as Joker, dances down the stairs, and appears on the Murray Franklin show.

Jennifer gets home from work and watches Joker's appearance on the Murray Franklin show. Her dark side escapes when Joker kills the elderly man.

Joker is arrested and taken the Arkham, where he kills Dr. Leland .

**3 weeks after the events of the movie (2 weeks after Joker is sent to Arkham and 1 week after he escapes):**

**1st and 2nd week:**

Arthur escapes from Arkham with the help of his fan club. He rescues Gary from the streets and spends his time planning his first act as the clown prince of crime.

Jennifer is still working at both her jobs. Since she caught up on her work, she is allowed to volunteer at the children's hospital.

Arthur has a sexual dream about being Carnival in Wonderland with Princess Alice. Includes plans on the best way to kidnap Jennifer.

While Arthur plans the best way to kidnap Jennifer, she makes a Joker doll for Marionette.

**3rd week: (Present Day)**

Arthur orders a hospital employee to call him when Jennifer performs at the Children's Hospital again. Once he hears back from said employee, he sends Gary to keep watch for her.

That same day, Gary, Arthur, and two of his henchmen watch Jennifer perform as Princess Alice at the Children's Hospital. Arthur sends them back to the hideout as he follows Jennifer home.

He kidnaps her and brings her back to his hideout after he knocks her out cold with a powerful sedative. 


	7. Mr. Sandman, Bring Me A Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If I had a world of my own  
> Everything would be nonsense  
> Nothing would be what it is  
> Because everything would be what it isn't
> 
> And contrary wise what it is it wouldn't be  
> And what it wouldn't be it would  
> You see

It didn't take long for Jennifer's powerful sedatives, to knock her out cold; throwing her headfirst, into the uncontrollable madness of Wonderland. And now that the poor working girl was dead to the world, it was Alice's time to shine.

The beautiful princess was lying on top of a large rainbow colored mushroom, high above the clouds. In the real world, Jennifer dared not spend any amount of time under the harsh, unforgiving sun; for fear of contracting melanoma. But here in Wonderland, she could sunbathe to her heart's content.

As the rays warmed Alice's ice cold bones, a large ruby red and black striped bumblebee flew by. She didn't give it much thought, until the little bugger landed on her inner arm, piercing the tender flesh with its silver stinger.

"Ow!" she cried in pain, smashing the bee with her balled up fist. "You mean ol' thing!"

Within the span of mere moments, Alice's bright, turquoise eyes dilated to a solid black, as strange thoughts and images flowed like static through her scrambled mind. She stumbled clumsily off the giant mushroom, falling further and further before disappearing into a flash of bright white light.

_One pill makes you larger_   
_And one pill makes you small_   
_And the ones that mother gives you_   
_Don't do anything at all_   
_Go ask Alice_   
_When she's ten feet tall_

Alice eventually found herself flying through the light blue sky; gliding gracefully from cloud to cloud, without a care in the world. She was so lost in that euphoric feeling of peace and tranquility, that it took a while for her to notice a little something waiting for her, in the pockets of her white apron. Sticking her hands inside, she pulled out the very pills Jennifer took on a daily basis

Seeing as her counter part had been taking them for years, Alice saw no reason not to swallow them. Maybe they'd help her make sense of what was going on, in her head. Just as the meds went down the hatch, a faceless queen of hearts playing card appeared beneath her.

Alice watched curiously as several more playing cards flew through the sky, eventually coming together to create a crudely constructed bridge. This bridge connected the card she was standing on, to an alternate version of Arkham Asylum made of, you guessed it, giant playing cards.

Short snippets of childhood memories played on a continuous loop, along the surface of the asylum's inner walls. It was almost like watching a collection of animated movies, featuring faded moments from a long forgotten past

But, before Alice had a chance to watch her whole life flash before her eyes, literally, the thin paper walls began to narrow; forcing the princess to make a run for it. She sped through the seemingly unending halls, reaching Dr. Arkham's office just in the nick of time.

Alice was astonished to find her own mother, waiting for her inside. The gravely ill woman was slumped listlessly behind the heavy wooden desk; looking much like she had in her final days on Earth. Despite clearly being in the final stages of liver cirrhosis, she was drinking copious amounts of red wine; bottle after bottle, after bottle.

With her last bit of strength, Alice's dearly, departed mother reached desperately towards her daughter, as if the child were her only salvation, before finally collapsing. Her fat, bloated corpse tumbled backwards, falling straight through the flimsy card castle.

As the world came crashing down around her, several red and black tentacles grabbed Alice from the darkness below, and sucked her down.

_And if you go chasing rabbits_   
_And you know you're going to fall_   
_Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar_   
_Has given you the call_   
_Call Alice_   
_When she was just small_

The poor princess was now standing in the depths of a foggy, warped version of Gotham City. The surrounding buildings all looked to have been built during the Victorian era, and were painted a sickly grey. But what truly stood out, were the streets themselves.

Instead of concrete or cobblestone, all the roads were paved with square tiles made of ivory and ebony; joined together to create a life sized chess board of sorts. Alice watched in amazement, as an army of GCPD officers dressed in white, went to war with an army of clown faced lunatics, dressed in black.

And from out of that insanity, emerged a vaguely familiar figure dressed in a fuzzy white rabbit costume. Alice instantly recognized him, as the midget who helped her find Arthur. The little guy was running through the crowded streets, as if his very life depended on it.

With a shrug, Alice turned and chased Gary through Gotham, doing her best to avoid the mayhem and carnage along the way. In his haste to get to where he was going, the tiny white rabbit accidently dropped a deformed Joker mask from his small rucksack.

As Alice bent down to retrieve the molded piece of colorful plastic, she couldn't help but notice how its mouth was turned down in a frown, as opposed to the smiles that all the other clown masks wore. Curiouser and curiouser

The little white rabbit vanished into thin air, the moment Alice put the mask. She soon became lost in the massive crowd; wandering aimlessly through the smoke, fire, and trash caused by the bloody battle, that was still in full swing.

_When the men on the chessboard_   
_Get up and tell you where to go_   
_And you've just had some kind of mushroom_   
_And your mind is moving low_   
_Go ask Alice_   
_I think she'll know_

Alice slowly took her mask off, once the smog became too thick to see through. And from out that smog, appeared a vintage purple and pink striped cat marionette; held up by invisible strings. The madly grinning cat threw a small black box at her before disappearing with a loud, inhuman cackle.

Alice was intrigued to see a black pack of cigarettes with the words _Smoke Me,_ written in a white childish scroll on the front, and _Some are thoroughly convinced that smoking stunts your growth. Let's see if they're right, shall we?_ written on the back.

Feeling that she had nothing to lose from the endeavor, Alice took out a cancer stick and, with the flick of a cheap plastic lighter, lit it. With every puff she took, the princess shrank more and more; getting smaller and smaller, until the smog finally cleared. In its stead, stood several, interconnected doll houses.

And within each crudely built structure, lived every single wooden puppet that she and Jennifer had ever created. This town of dollhouses was full of real, honest to God friends; all living together in perfect harmony. A perfect place to live, as far as Alice was concerned.

Though the pretty princess wanted to stay here forever, her little wooden puppet friends had other ideas. Upon seeing the real person within their midst, the marionettes sprang to life and chased the intruder from their homes; not stopping until they left her standing right outside the immense gates of red queen's castle.

_When logic and proportion_   
_Have fallen sloppy dead_   
_And the White Knight is talking backwards_   
_And the Red Queen's off with her head_   
_Remember what the dormouse said_   
_Feed your head_   
_Feed your head_

Stepping out from between two large stone statues, Alice saw that she had arrived at the entrance to an immense stone maze, located within the red queen's own garden. A loud roar from a powerful V8 engine, broke through the stone cold silence, causing a shiver to run down Alice's twisted spine.

She looked back in horror at the sight of her deceased father's rotting corpse, sitting behind the wheel of the very car he had initially died in, years ago. Before she even had a chance to approach him, the mad man revved the engine and took off after his daughter; chasing her for what seemed like an eternity.

After taking each twist and turn of the maze with ease, the living dead man had managed to lead Alice down the wrong way; trapping her in a dead end. Two white gloved hands suddenly appeared above the frightened princess, grabbing her underarms and lifting her, just as the car crashed head first into the wall.

The moment Alice landed gracefully on the other side, she turned and squealed with joy. Her silly billy clown had rescued her once again; and, as if that wasn't enough, he was still dressed as her very own Mad Hatter. Taking her hand gently, he lead Alice to a long table full of steaming teapots, delicious looking goodies, and, of course, the mad antics of the march hare and the dormouse.  
  
Standing at the head of the table, Carnival grabbed a slice of delicious looking cake, and gave it to Alice; wishing her a very merry unbirthday, with a wink. He was very much aware of the effect this culinary treat would have on his little princess, and couldn't wait for what happened next.

One bite was all it took, for Alice to quickly grow, expanding more and more until she stood over 12 feet tall. With a delighted giggle, she blew Carnival a big, loving kiss before stepping over the wall. She squished her father and the car underfoot, before stomping out of the maze; automatically shrinking as she made her way to the ramshackle castle.

Alice took her time wandering through the remains, coming to a complete stop once she finally reached the throne room. She was taken aback by the sight of Jennifer and Arthur attached to separate thrones with hooks and chains, dressed as the White King and Queen. Raising her head, Alice soon saw a giant, human version of Marionette and Joker, dressed as the King and Queen of Hearts. 

The two stood behind their respective thrones; Marionette standing behind Jennifer, as Joker stood behind Arthur. The other ends of the chains were been attached to their fingers, controlling their counterparts with hooks attached to their joints.

"Off with her head!!" Marionette ordered in a shrill voice, cackling maniacally as her wild eyes glowed a fiery red.

An unnaturally wide grin split Joker's face in two, as he took out the very same gun, he used to kill Murray Franklin from his jacket pocket. He pointed it right in Alice's face, with a high pitched chuckle.

"You get what you fucking deserve!!!"

BANG!!

\-------------------------  
Jennifer awoke with a frightened gasp; her heart racing in time to her heavy breathing, as she stumbled to a semi seated position in bed. Out of all the nightmares that plagued her troubled mind, that was one of the worst.

Her tired, fluttering eyes soon took in the sight of blurry shadows and warped colors. Although the images seemed vaguely familiar, something just wasn't quite right. Jennifer squinted a bit, hoping to gain a better perspective of her surroundings; but when she couldn't find any sign of her many, many wooden friends, she began to panic.

Reaching blindly for her bedside lamp. her fear only intensified when her hand brushed against a dull, metal lamp instead of the delicate porcelain princess lamp, she had bought at the state fair years ago. With a soft click of the lamp switch, the room was flooded in a bright white light, a major change from the cool yellow she had become accustomed to.

Next to the metal lamp, Jennifer found her favorite pair of magenta framed glasses. Slipping them on, she let out a blood curdling scream, as the strange room came into focus.

Scrambling off the bed, the poor, confused girl hit her butt on the thick carpeted floor with a painful grunt before crab walking to the nearest wall. Her glasses lay askew on her face as she tried to make sense of what all had happened. As she tried to control her fears, a heavy steel door opened from across the room; revealing a silhouette of a small, familiar looking midget.

After a few moments of mass hysteria, Jennifer finally recognized the man, as the one who gave her Arthur's name. But that didn't stop her from screaming and sobbing, despite the little man's constant reassurance that she was in a safe place, and would not be harmed.

Her breath came out in barely controlled pants and sobs, as Gary spoke in hushed whispers, trying his best to sooth her fears.

"W-Where am I?" she asked in a soft, frightened whisper. "What am I doing here? Who are you?"

"It's alright luv, you're in a Wearhouse in Gotham harbor. My name is Gary and I mean you no harm. Now I know this might seem a bit queer, but, if you calm down a bit, I can tell you everything you need to know."

Jennifer's breath hiccupped in response, as she wrapped the thick comforter tightly around her. Taking one last, deep shuddering breath, she nodded for Gary to continue. He proceeded to tell her about how she had caught the attention of a very powerful man. A man she knew all too well. 

They spoke for several minutes, until Jennifer calmed enough for Joker to make his grand appearance. With a customary knock on the open steel door, the clown prince of crime caught her attention. Gary left the two alone, to become better acquainted.

Joker walked slowly toward where Jennifer was still sitting, and knelt in front of her; adjusting her glasses as she cowered from him. "Please don't hurt me," she whispered, tears falling from her clenched eyes, as they trailed down her pale cheeks.

"Shhhh it's okay, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise."

He continued speaking in calm whispers, gently stroking Jennifer's hair and face once he managed to creep close enough to do so. Try as he might, though, Joker just couldn't seem to get through to her. Not that he could really blame her; he was a murderous, psychopathic clown, after all.

After a minute or two of deep contemplation, Joker finally came up with an idea. He stood and rummaged through the drawers of his vanity, until he found his most precious item: the very same silk handkerchief Alice had given him, the day they met.

Kneeling before his princess once more, the clown prince of crime slowly took off her glasses and dried her tears. Jennifer's eyes snapped opened when she felt the touch of silk on her flushed face, her gaze flickered back and forth between Joker's emerald eyes and the very same handkerchief, she had given Carnival all those months ago

"W-Where did you get that?"

"You gave it to me, the day we met. Do you remember?"

Jennifer's gaze raised to look deep into Joker's emerald eyes, her own hazel widening when she recognized him for who he truly was. She had known Arthur, Carnival, and Joker were one in the same, but didn't think much of it, until now.

She simply assumed neither would care for her, or even remember her, after so much time had passed.

"C-Carnival?" Jennifer gasped, "It can't be..."

Joker's smile widened, as he began to laugh. What started out as a few uncontrollable giggles, soon evolved into a violent, uncontrollable laughing fit. Leaving him clutching his throat and choking near the end, while tears of frustration ran down his gaunt, heavily painted face.

Rather than be frightened by his laughing fit, Jennifer became sympathetic, instead. She carefully reached out and stroked his hair, running her fingers through his dark green strands gently.

She then wrapped her arms around his thin, trembling frame, pulling him close and resting his head on her chest. She rubbed her hands up and down his back, while humming a sweet lullaby.

Joker enveloped his arms around her supple body and held her tight, as he let it all out; completely blown away by her actions. He thought for sure that she'd be disgusted by his laughing condition, as most everyone had been in the past.

No one, not even his own mother, had ever shown him as much love and kindness, as Jennifer was showing him, in this very moment. Some time went by before she let Joker go, his sobs ceasing, while she used her handkerchief to wipe away his tears. She didn't even care that his makeup was staining the delicate fabric; she could always make another one.

"There we go," Jennifer said, not unkindly "Are ya feelin' any better, darlin'?"

Joker nodded with a sniff, as he wiped what was left of the heavy grease makeup, from his incredibly gaunt face. It was only when all the red, white, and blue paint had been cleaned away, that Arthur's true face shined through.

"I-I'm so sorry.." He whispered, standing unsteadily in his feet.

He turned and headed to the door, but was stopped when he felt Jennifer's hand grab his, pulling him around to face her once more. His head dropped in shame; his eyes refusing to meet hers.

Jennifer looked at him curiously for a second or two, before putting her finger under his chin and lifting it, so his gaze could meet hers. He didn't want to look into her eyes, afraid of what he would see.

"Carnival, look at me,"

"Arthur.."

"What?"

"My name is Arthur," he mumbled.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Arthur," she giggled sweetly "My name's Jennifer."

Her pale face broke out into the loveliest smile, the man had ever seen in his entire life. Grabbing his wrist gently, Jennifer pulled Arthur towards her.

She sat him on the edge of the large, comfy bed before sitting next to him; pulling her legs together and sitting Indian style with her arms and hands resting in her lap. Arthur sat slumped over, his fingers lacing together, as he rested his elbows on his spread knees.

An uncomfortable silence hung heavy in the air, as both tried to think of what to say next.

"So.. um... i-is that what you want me to call you, from now on? Arthur?"

"When I have the suit and makeup on, you can call me Joker. Otherwise, call me Arthur."

"What about Carnival?" Jennifer inquired, her brow furring in confusion

"Don't you know? Carnival died on that train with those three rich assholes. He's never coming back."  
  
A sense of dread squeezed her fragile heart, as numbness took hold of her entire body. It was in that moment, Alice chose to take over before Jennifer had a chance to stop her. She leapt from the bed and backed away from Arthur, holding the stained silk handkerchief to her chest as she began to hyperventilate

"W-What did you d-do, with my s-silly billy clown," she sobbed, becoming lost in the throws of a full blown temper tantrum.

"I want my clown prince back! Give him back to me, I want my Carnival!!" "I WANT MY CARNIVAL!!" Alice screeched, falling to the ground before sliding down the wall she had backed into. Alice pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face into her handkerchief as she cried her eyes out.

Alice was too busy wallowing in her own misery, to notice Arthur stand from the bed. Her sobs soften and her breath hiccups, when she heard her clown humming the words to _If You're Happy and You Know it!_

"If you want to be happy, take my hand. If you want to be happy, take my hand. If you want to be happy take my hand, my darling girl. If you want to be happy, take my hand."

Alice gasped and raised her head, the moment she heard the clown's sweet voice. Her pout melted into a childish smile, as she giggled at the sight of her beloved party clown, dancing and singing just for her.

"Carnival, you're alive!!"

The silly old clown nodded, as he held his hand for his princess to take. Alice reached up and grabbed it, giggling in delight when he pulled her gracefully to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and cuddled her as close as he could, without hurting her.

Alice then began singing the exact same song, in her soft, breathy voice; throwing her arms around the clown and cuddling him close. The two stared deep into each others eyes, swaying back and forth as she sang.

"If you want to make me happy, give me a kiss. If you want to make me happy, give me a kiss. If you want to make me happy, and I know you surely do. If you want to make me happy, give me a kiss."

She then entangled the fingers of her right hand into her clown's dark green hair; pulling him into a deep, loving kiss. They pulled each other together tightly, as the kiss deepened into a full make out session.

The clown backed Alice onto the bed without breaking contact. The make out session soon became very heated as Carnival and Alice began to feel a little horny. Joker's cock was rock hard, although Alice's pussy had yet to become drenched.

As naughty sexual thoughts took hold of the clown's addled brains, forcing him to become aggressive with his new lover, Marionette to finally over for Alice; trying with all her might to thwart the mad man's attempt at intimacy.

She pushed away with yells of "No!" "Stop it!" But Joker didn't seem to care. Seeing no other alternative, the angry woman swung back and punched him square in the nose.

Joker was thrown from the bed and crashed into the vanity, holding his bloody nose as he glared at Marionette. She stood from the bed to face him head on; both of them standing in a sort of old western stand off.

"What the hell was that all about, toots? I mean, you're the one who made the first move."

Marionette's eyes narrowed, as her hands curled into shaky fists. "You were trying to have your way with her, you sick fuck!" she grounded out, in an almost demonic tone of voice," Alice just wanted a kiss, she didn't asked to be raped!"

Joker looked at her in bewilderment "What the fuck... why are you talkin' about yourself in third person?"

"Because I'm not Alice, you moron!"

Joker tilted his head confusedly: "Jennifer?"

"Guess again..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dream sequences in this chapter were based off different levels of an amazing 2011 video game called Alice: Madness Returns. I highly recommend going to YouTube and watching some of the game play videos. You won't be disappointed ;)
> 
> Especially this video:  
> https://youtu.be/2Te6E_GbNNs
> 
> The song playing throughout the dream is White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane.


End file.
